


Double Your Pleasure

by mike91848



Category: Dexter (TV), Dexter - Fandom, Dexter Series - All Media Types, Dexter Series - Jeff Lindsay
Genre: Crime, Suspense
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2011-01-24
Updated: 2011-01-24
Packaged: 2017-10-15 01:34:08
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 10
Words: 32,240
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/155625
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mike91848/pseuds/mike91848
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>This is a story about a drug deal gone bad at Z Motel with Rita in the middle of the "Bad"!</p><p>This is a Dexter story, pure fiction on my part. No connection to the books or the series except of course this is Fan Fiction about our favorite Show, Dexter. No connection to anyone real at anytime.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. "Dad and his Troubles"

Dexter crawled into his bed after a very long hot shower that washed off the lingering smell of his last kill from earlier that night. The hunt had gone well and the finale was executed flawlessly. As he lay there Dexter thought back to the evening's finale.

 _He had taken his time with this one. He had savored the moment when his knife had entered his victim's chest, plunging deep into the killer's heart that would no longer beat. He stood there letting his hands grip the knife after it had done its' job. He felt his void being filled with satisfaction and the Dark Passenger's relentless drive to kill ease up for a time to enjoy the thrill of the life that had just been taken._

 _Dexter started to pull his knife out and felt the death grip from the body loosen and allow his knife to free itself. Then he laid it on top of his victim's chest for a moment as if to honor the knife for a job well done. This led to the ritual of cutting the body into pieces, one bloody piece at a time. Tonight he had started at the head and worked his way down until all of his heavy duty trash bags were full of neatly cut body parts. He was a little sad when the last bag had been tied off and the last of the cleanup was complete but he knew that he would have many more pleasurable nights like this one and proceeded to ponder his next hunt._

Sleep came quickly for Dexter this night as the Dark Passenger had just been satisfied and Dexter was worn out, so much excitement but so tired.

Rita's phone call the next morning woke Dexter up to the sun light coming in through his bedroom windows letting him know that a new day had arrived. He reached for the phone as he sat up and sleepily muttered, "Hello."

Rita was a morning person and happily replied, "Good morning Dexter! Are you up yet?"

Dexter shook his head as words stumbled out of his mouth, "No. I'm still asleep, I think."

Rita laughed as she proceeded to tell Dexter what he was going to be doing this fine hot and humid Saturday, "Come over as soon as you can. We're meeting my dad for breakfast over at Molly's Café. He just drove in last night and wants to get together as soon as possible. Isn't that just great! I haven't seen dad for several years now and you've never met him. The kids are dressed and already standing out on the front lawn waiting for you to pick us up. Hurry now and we will see you in a bit. Okay? Bye!"

Dexter tried to take all of this in and make sense of it but he got side tracked on 'Dad' being there to eat. He was waking up a bit more and asked "Dad? Here?" Rita had already hung up and Dexter's phone responded with a dial tone to his questions. Dex looked at the phone questionably and hung up. "Okay." He said to himself. He had a slight grin on his face though as he made his way into the bathroom to freshen up and get moving. His 'Rita' had just given him his orders. He had better not waste any time.

Dexter pulled up in front of Rita's house and there were the three of them out by the curb. Cody and Astor looked like they were on pogo sticks the way they were bouncing around and waving at Dexter to hurry up! Rita looked as pretty as ever in a brightly colored summer dress with shoulder straps and was smiling with an eager expression. Dexter could see that they were ready to board the Dexter van and be whisked off to Molly's Café to see "Dear old Dad" a.k.a. "Grandpa".

He stopped just long enough to have the happy gang board and off they went. Dexter tried to say hello to everyone but only had time to squeak out a quick "Hel" then was drowned out by three voices all talking at the same time, sounding something like this, "Hurry Dexter, Hello, lets go, come on come on, Dad is waiting, I want to see Grandpa, I'm first, no me, kids be quiet, mom, he's picking his nose again, Cody stop, we are finally on our way, these kids are driving me crazy". Dexter gave Rita an amused look and rolled his eyes as he shook his head.

Rita asked, "Okay, what's the matter, Dexter? You can't understand two happy kids and an excited mom all yelling at one time?"

Dexter shrugged and said, "No, I only got as far as Latin and ancient Greek in school!" Rita tossed her head back and laughed then looked at Dexter with a loving expression as she put her hand on his leg as they drove off to meet dad.

They pulled into the parking lot at Molly's Café, parked, and then they all headed towards the entrance. Rita's dad, CJ, short for Courtney James, was waiting out front. When he saw his family running his way his face lit up with a big smile. Cody and Astor got there first as grandpa gave them both a hug at the same time. Grandpa kissed each on the head and said,"Oh my gosh you two have grown so big since the last time I saw you! How do you grow so fast anyway? I bet mom makes you lots of pancakes with vegetables and cottage cheese!"

Cody puckered up and told grandpa, "Yucky! No way grandpa, when we have pancakes we have butter and syrup.", as grandpa looked at Cody and laughed.

Astor replied very smugly, "Grandpa you just made that up. Real people don't eat like that.", then smiled with a knowing look on her young face and nodded to grandpa letting him know that was the final word on that topic. Grandpa laughed out loud as he looked down at his two grandkids with his expression showing how much he loved these two.

Rita watched as her dad and the kids greeted each other, while her and Dexter stood next to them. As CJ looked toward Rita she stepped in between the kids and gave her dad a big hug. He returned the hug with one of his own, with Rita's head resting on his shoulder as she closed her eyes and let her dads' embrace make her feel like a little girl again. She took a deep breath then sighed as she stood there remembering how she loved this so much as a child, to be in her dads' arms and feeling so safe and warm, and so loved. CJ kissed her on the cheek then stepped back as he put his hands on her shoulders and looked down into his daughters' smiling face and with a huge smile on his face said, "God, I love you! You are still my little girl and as cute as ever!" He pulled her back for another hug.

As her dad hugged her again, Rita squealed excitedly, "I love you too dad!" Then gave him a big squeeze! Rita and dad finally stepped apart long enough for dad to get a good look at all three of his loved ones and felt great. He was happy to be here and wanted to spend as much time as he could with his family. He had missed them so much and he was finally here!

Rita realized that Dexter had been standing there and she had not introduced him yet to her dad. She gave Dexter a big smile, grabbed his hand and pulled him closer and said, "Dad, this is Dexter Morgan, my boyfriend. Dexter, this is my dad, CJ." The two men shook hands, smiled, and nodded. Dexter was perfectly happy with this but it seemed CJ was in the hugging mood as he grabbed Dexter and gave him a big hug while slapping him on the back several times.

CJ stepped back as he looked at Dexter with a big grin on his face saying, "It's good to finally meet you Dex. Rita has told me so much about you. If even half of it is true then I know she has a good man here!"

 _Dexter thought "Well she only knows half the truth anyway so I guess I'm down to about twenty-five percent good."_

CJ laughed and slapped Dex on the back again as he looked at his daughter and winked. Rita loved this, her two guys' right here, together.

Dexter really didn't know what to say at this point. These situations called for emotional responses and as good as he was at faking these in every day situations this moment called for something a bit more than the usual.

All he could come up with though was, "Glad to finally meet you too, CJ." He looked at Rita with a grin and hoped someone would take charge and get everyone focused on something else besides him.

Cody took the hint unknowingly and chimed in, "I'm hungry!" He went towards the entrance and everyone followed. Dexter mentally thanked his little buddy.

After breakfast they headed back to Rita's for a good visit and to get all the latest news. Once in the house Rita went into the kitchen to make coffee and get the kids some sodas. Grandpa received a tour of the kids' bedrooms to get the latest on their favorite this and that along with the up to the minute tales each could tell on the other! Grandpa listened and commented as Cody and Astor rambled on for an hour or so. CJ was a good listener and always acted surprised and happy at every opportunity. Cody and Astor both loved their grandpa and he wasn't shy in letting them know that he loved them both very much and thought that they were both just the best that ever was!

Rita delivered the sodas first then a few minutes later a cup of hot coffee to dad. She lingered for just a moment to listen to dad and the kids talking and laughing. She smiled and went back out into the living room and joined Dexter on the couch.

Dexter asked as he looked at Rita, "Did your dad just pop up this morning or did you know he was coming?"

"He just phoned this morning and said he was in town, just like that. It caught me totally by surprise!"

Rita was looking at Dexter and holding his hand, then turned away and looked out the window for a moment like she was gathering her thoughts, then continued, "We had talked over the past year or so about the possibility of him selling the gun shop and retiring here in Miami to be near me and the kids but I didn't know he was actually coming until he called. I don't even know if he has sold the shop yet or not, we haven't had time to talk about any of that. We can ask him once the kids are done."

She smiled and then looked back to Dexter, "I can't believe my dad is here!" She jumped up and sat on Dexter's lap and gave him a big hug and a kiss. Dexter liked this part but wasn't so sure about all of the rest. They sat there in silence, cuddling for a while, just thinking as they waited for dad.

Dexter wasn't sure about having Rita's dad around all the time. Rita had grown accustomed to his odd ways and hours. Pop may not buy into Dexter like Rita had. Pop seemed to be an intelligent guy and would have Rita's best interest at heart. So far so good but Dexter knew he would follow Harry's code and do everything to blend in and not be too conspicuous.

Dad and the kids came back into the living room and joined the cuddling couple. Rita got up off of Dexter's lap and asked her dad, "Okay dad, let's hear all about your plans and give us all the details. Does anyone need a refill?" She went off to the kitchen to get everyone their drinks and also brought back some chips for munching while they talked.

CJ started off, "I sold the shop and closed the deal about a month ago. I made out pretty good too considering all the property we had and the town's folks looking to live out in the country. The developer bought the business and most of the inventory for top dollar so they could get their hands on the property, over 1200 acres." He had an attentive audience and smiled at all of them before continuing on.

Dexter was looking at CJ while he spoke. CJ was about 60 or so, was about 6' maybe 6' 1", probably weighed in at around 220 to 225. CJ looked like he had lifted weights over the years but had not done so for quite a while but in any case still looked strong enough to take care of himself if needed. He had taken note that CJ moved well for a big man. His hands were big and looked rough, a man who was use to hard work. He had a full head of short gray hair and green eyes. His normal expression was relaxed and was quick to smile from what Dexter had seen so far. He seemed like the kind of man that was very much into family and wouldn't put up with anyone who would try to mess with any of his own. He had noticed a few quick but disturbed expressions CJ had shown during a couple of noisy moments at the café earlier that made Dex think there was something else going on underneath CJ's fatherly veneer. Dexter knew he was good at reading people and sizing them up as his many victims had found out the hard way. As a matter of habit Dexter found himself following Harry's code, don't get caught, do your homework, be sure. He knew he wasn't after CJ but suspected CJ might be pretty good at reading other people too. Time would tell.

CJ continued on, "I'm glad you are all here together so I don't have to repeat some of this several times. I want all of you to hear this right from me." CJ moved over to where Rita was sitting and sat down next to her and put his hand out for her to hold. Rita held his hand with a look of concern now based on the way dad was talking then this, holding her hand. The kids picked up on this and moved closer to grandpa too. Dexter stayed still, watching and listening.

"I am going to say this but I don't want any reactions until I finish, promise?" as he looked around to everyone. Everyone nodded in silence.

He continued, "I was diagnosed with Prostate Cancer about a year ago." As Rita heard what her dad had just said she looked shocked and started crying immediately as she turned to him to give him a huge hug.

She was crying but was able to blurt out, "Oh dad, no, no!" Cody and Astor didn't fully understand but were scared by their mom's sudden reaction. They both started crying too and jumped up to hug grandpa and mom. Dexter looked on as CJ started to cry just a bit himself. Dexter could not feel their pain or their concern but knew his own ties to Rita and the kids had grown stronger over time and could only relate a bit through that.

CJ regained control after a moment to go on,"Rita, honey, the kids. I asked you not to do this until I finished.", as he smiled. Rita's eyes were red from crying, her face moist with her tears as she reached out and touched Cody and Astor to help them calm down. She smiled and brushed their hair with her fingers as she looked at each of her children. She knew she had reacted so suddenly that she had scared them both and felt bad but the news about her dad having cancer was not something she had expected to hear. In fact it was the last thing she wanted to hear. He was so healthy looking, so happy and smiling. The thought of losing her dad and the possibility of him suffering had just been too much.

Once everyone had settled down and the kids had stopped crying CJ continued, "I'm not dying yet folks, come on now. We caught it early. I was given several options by my Urologist when he got confirmation, after all of the tests, that I had Prostate Cancer. I chose to have the operation to have my prostate taken out hoping if we caught it soon enough that would be the end of that. I had the operation eleven months ago. They determined after the operation that the cancer may have spread after they checked the prostate; the cancer had reached the outer edge. It could be years before any sign might show up, if ever. In the mean time I'm just me as usual."

Rita's expression showed that she was very concerned about her dad because of his cancer and looked at her dad first, then the kids, over to Dexter then back to her dad, saying, "Dad, we are here for you, all of us. Just let us know what we can do, what ever you need. Anything!" The kids both confirmed that they were there for grandpa too, just like mom. Dexter nodded showing concern and his support as well.

CJ sat up straight and said, "Ok, what I need right now is a happy family, just this very minute! I recovered from the operation in about six weeks and I don't want to have to wait that long for anything again!", as he laughed and the mood started to lighten.

CJ was glad that he had told everyone and was sorry that whenever anyone heard the word "Cancer" they immediately wanted to do something like cry or offer help or say something like "I'm so sorry". This wasn't really an uncommon reaction but in his case there was not an immediate threat, according to the doctor's. He didn't need or want sympathy. He wanted to live and be with his family as happy as they could be.

They continued on with questions about Prostate Cancer, the operation, what would be next if the cancer came back, until they had accepted it for what it was and felt better knowing that CJ was going to be around for a very long time. Dexter could see that everyone was very relieved.

******************************************

The movers had dropped everything off at CJ's new house, bought and paid for. The movers had all of the big stuff in the right places and left some boxes in the garage and others throughout the house under CJ's guidance. Rita had helped her dad pick out the house and made sure it was in the right neighborhood.

This neighborhood was where she wanted Dexter and her to move into, together. She had been working on this for sometime now but had not been successful, yet. She had taken advantage of the opportunity by dragging Dexter around while they were house hunting for dad to get Dexter into the area and kept dropping hints. The quality of the schools, how safe the area was, how close it was to their work, and of course how close it was to dad's place. The homes were beautiful, large yards, many with pools and Jacuzzi's. With Rita's house paid for and Dexter receiving a good sum for his dad's house they could afford to pay cash. Of course Dexter was always holding back.

Dexter heard the hints and hadn't missed any of Rita's previous efforts about moving in together. He had played along acting like they had time, why rush; let's think about the kids, it has to be right. He knew Rita was ready and the kids would love it but he also knew he had to have his space to be who he was; The Dark Defender, The Dark Passengers' mate in arms, the serial killer that killed other serial killers while following Harry's code. He needed his freedom and didn't dare get trapped in a situation that would stifle his urges or efforts to hunt and fill the void or allow Rita to see or even get a glimpse of who he really was. Don't get caught and blend in he thought knowing he had to keep a fine balance or everything would fall apart.

They all pitched in to help CJ get the basics set up before they went out for dinner. They found the bed clothes and made up the beds and then unpacked the boxes in CJ's bathroom and then in the kitchen they found the two boxes marked "kitchen me first" and got those opened and unpacked. CJ could now get a good nights sleep, shower, and fix a quick meal or two before diving into the rest of the unpacking.

CJ asked Dex to follow him to get one more item taken care of while Rita and the kids finished up in the kitchen by washing the few pots and pans along with the dishes and silverware.

CJ led Dex into the den, shut the door, then walked over to the safe and opened it. There was CJ's gun collection along with ammo and the cleaning gear. CJ watched Dexter's expression as he looked over CJ's collection of hunting rifles and hand guns to get a feel for how he felt about guns. Dexter had a respectful expression and a slight smile while nodding his approval of everything he saw, telling CJ that Dex at least appreciated what he was looking at. Dexter also saw a stack of what looked like a dozen or so journals on the floor of the safe which made him think, "What are in those journals that CJ has to keep them locked up? Curious! "

CJ wanted to go hunting with Dexter if Dex was up to it. CJ was trying to ease into the question by seeing how Dexter responded to his comments about hunting and his experiences as a hunting guide.

CJ explained, "I like to hunt, Dexter."

 _Dex thought, "So do I."_

CJ continued, "I have killed a lot of animals in my time but not just for sport. I've always had a reason, mainly for the meat and thinning the herds to give the rest of the herd a better chance to survive."

 _Dex thought, "I have my reasons too."_

CJ saw the grin on Dex's face and took this as an approval. CJ felt better already about Dex. He had hoped that this would not turn him off or push him away.

CJ proceeded in his round about way to feel Dex out about his feelings on guns and hunting, "I've killed or help kill over a hundred animals through the years for myself and for the groups that I use to take out on hunting trips. Then we would clean and butcher them for the trophies and the meat. It's a bit bloody and messy. Some folks just can't stand the sight of blood let alone cleaning an animal. Since you work as a blood spatter analyst I know you have seen your share of blood and god knows what else at the crime scenes you have to work. I guess what I'm trying to say is if you have a mind to go hunting with me sometime I would really like that."

 _Dex thought, "His count is higher than mine but I wonder if he would like to go on one of my hunts sometime?"_

Dexter told the truth, "Yes, I would. That would be good." smiling and nodding yes. The two had just bonded at a very basic level, as hunters. Both killers in there own way. Both skilled in hunting; stalking, killing, dismembering, getting rid of the parts they were not going to keep, and keeping what they wanted after all else was said and done. They both felt pretty good at that point, each in their own ways of course. CJ closed up the safe and spun the dial. CJ never mentioned the journals and Dexter didn't ask.

CJ continued, asking Dexter a favor, "Dex, Rita does not like guns. She never came to the gun shop, not even once. She does not like hunting at all! She went fishing with me once when she was little and cried for an hour when I pulled in a nice catch and she saw the hook in its mouth. I had to throw it back in, after telling her the fish couldn't really feel the hook. I want Rita to know that it is safe here for her and the kids. This safe cannot be opened by accident. I will never open it again when the kids are here. I will not talk to them about guns or hunting. Maybe fishing though, by the way I hear you have a boat. If Rita asks you about the safe please let her know we spoke and how it's safe for the kids to be here. I would never do anything that would hurt Rita or the kids in any way, period."

Dexter nodded yes and told CJ, "No problem. I feel the same way myself." The two smiled and walked back towards the kitchen. Dexter thought about the favor CJ had just asked of him. CJ trusted him to help keep his relationship with his daughter and his grandkids safe and secure. This was something new for Dexter. He needed to think about how this made him feel but it would have to wait for the time being.

Continue on to chapter two…..


	2. "Rita's Tribe Visits Dad"

Over the next week CJ spent his days unpacking, hanging pictures, getting his telephone, cable, and internet hooked up, his pool service started and a cleaning service hired which would also do his laundry and ironing once a week. CJ wanted to do his own lawn work though and had all of the tools to do the job. Working with his hands was something he wanted to do to keep busy and keep the body moving but was not at all interested in housework. He figured he might attack the pool duties at some point but right now until he learned about the proper care of a pool and a Jacuzzi he would let the experts do it so the kids wouldn't get sick.

Rita had pushed him to get a house with a pool and a Jacuzzi, mainly for the kids plus for when the family would get together for barbeques and such, so he did. He had a three bedroom house with a den, a large back yard, and an extra large garage with enough space for two cars plus a work area for projects. He figured the kids could share one bedroom when they spent the night so he set up double beds in that bedroom. In the third bedroom he put in a nice queen size bed for Rita and Dex if they chose to spend the night. Maybe he would have some visitors from back home along the way too. He had a sofa bed combo in the living room that made into a queen sized bed with an air mattress that was really comfortable; easy to use too with its own electric air pump. He had four sleeping bags and smaller air mattresses, one for each bag, stored in the garage along with his camping gear. CJ was use to planning for groups on his hunting trips and was setting up the house for the "Just in Case" situations that would spring up on occasion.

His property was a corner lot and had some extra space along one side for parking an RV which he didn't have but maybe someday or maybe a boat. Dexter had a boat already but it was nice to know he had the room just in case. The front lawn was big enough to set the house back from the street nicely with a large driveway on the corner side with an entrance from the garage into the kitchen.

There was a walkway from the driveway that curved around to the front of the house to a nice double door entry with a small front porch with an overhang. The porch was really more like a concrete slab with redwood inlays but is was large enough for an outdoor five foot mission style Western Red Cedar glider with enough room to sit two adults comfortably with a little room left over. CJ planned to spend some time out here in the evenings on occasion when the temperatures were a little cooler to watch the neighborhood activity and just relax.

His house was decorated with what could be considered single guy stuff that a hunter would find comfortable to be around. Rita's taste in décor was a lot different of course and CJ hoped Rita and the kids would like it when they came back the next weekend with Dexter to visit and see what progress had been made. CJ had kept Rita up to date at dinner every night but seeing it was a lot different than hearing about it. CJ assumed Dexter would like it and hoped Dex would be his ally if Rita wasn't pleased.

When Rita, the kids, and Dexter came over on Saturday morning late to see CJ's newly decorated home they walked in the front door into the living room to be greeted by furniture and decorations from around the world, but mostly Africa. Dexter's first impression was that the place looked great. Astor leaned more towards Dexter's opinion, Rita was not so sure she liked all of the hunting décor, and Cody was somewhere in between.

CJ was once again a guide, not out to kill this time but to see the results of many hunting trips. He led his group through each room explaining all about what he had hung up on the walls or stood in the corners or sat on shelves and table tops.

He started with the living room where they had just entered. As they all stood there looking around CJ said, "Okay, over here in the corner by my easy chair," a brown leather recliner that had seen a lot of reading time, "is my reading lamp from Africa. The stand itself is hand carved and is over six feet tall. The tan shade softens the light and the light itself shines down on the Masai Tribal Mask carved into the stand highlighting its features making it a bit scary, don't you think?"

Cody stepped a bit closer to mom and Rita could only smile a bit and cross her arms over her chest as if she needed to protect herself. Dexter smiled at their reactions.

Astor walked over to the lamp and touched the mask saying, "Looks a bit like Cody grandpa, don't you think?" then smiled as she looked at Cody raising her eyebrows and nodding once.

CJ pointed out the picture on the wall over the sofa showing a Pride of Lions lounging during the midday heat on the open African plains with a small tree giving just a small finger of shade for the older larger Lion as his pride lay stretched out all around him. They looked so peaceful in the picture that you could forget for a moment how they survived by hunting and killing other animals for food otherwise known as survival of the fittest. CJ told Rita, "This is what I saw when I went to Africa for one of my safari's. I bought the lamp there along with this picture. I have a trophy in the den from that trip that we will see in a moment."

Rita was not so sure she really wanted to visit the den. She sort of felt like she had left Miami and was on her own safari with her tribe in tow exploring the CJ plains somewhere in the farthest reaches of Africa that you only hear about but never go there. She found herself along with Cody inching closer to Dexter for protection. Dexter wanted to laugh but stood his ground for his woman and her offspring, to be the man, King of his pride.

Astor of course was being the smug woman of the world and let grandpa know this by saying, "We studied all about Lions in school, grandpa, and we have watched a film with Lions killing and eating Zebras and Gazelles. Its really gross but at least I didn't throw up like some of the other kids."

Rita's jaw dropped and stood there with her mouth hanging open while Astor told them what she was learning in school. Dexter and CJ laughed but Rita told Astor they would be talking later about her school, as she gave Astor a disapproving look. For once Cody kept his mouth shut, harboring great admiration for his sister but he was not going to tell her that.

CJ told them a little story about the intricately hand carved end tables and matching coffee table from South Africa where he had been once on another safari. He had won them in a shooting match from one of the locals. The throw rug in the living room was from the Congo and he had purchased it while in South Africa when he was at a local bar and had paid $100 US for it along with a win at darts. The walls had various tribal masks and even a Zulu Iklwa, Shaka Stabbing Spear with a 22" blade, hand made. This item CJ bought for about $800 and felt like he got it cheap. They are not very common; hand made like this one, and could easily be driven through an adults' body with a single thrust. CJ had this mounted up over the fireplace mantle high enough so the kids could not easily reach it. He gave Cody and Astor a stern look and advised, "Do not touch that spear. It is one of my prized positions and can easily kill someone if not handled properly. Okay?"

Rita watched as both kids nodded okay while they watched the light reflect off of the highly polished and very sharp blade. Rita was ready to protest about the spear being there and accessible like that when CJ looked her way and nodded, winked and said, "We can discuss all décor options later, I promise!" Rita wasn't happy but listened to her dad and held back for the time being. He was her dad but a sharp killing spear where the kids could get at it, oh my god she thought, what next?

CJ led them into the hallway heading towards the den where CJ started telling a story that made Rita feel like a little girl again. She was still frazzled somewhat from the living room experience but still got caught up in CJ's story. Her dad had a way about him that when he told a story, he would draw you in and keep you there until he was done. Of course Rita had been through this since she was a little girl and was easier to pull in than the rest of the tribe. CJ made eye contact with everyone so they would look at him and listen to his saga. They were all thinking about CJ's comment earlier about the trophy in the den.

Just before they turned into the den from the hallway, CJ stopped them and looked very serious as he looked at Rita and said, "I spent many hours on the hunt for this trophy, Rita. It was a long hot sunny African summer day with little shade that we spent tracking this one. We almost lost it several times but we managed to pick up its' trail and we kept at it. It was fast and we knew we had to catch up to it before dark if we were to have a chance of killing it. After the sun goes down, Rita, we would become the hunted." He gave all of them a serious stern look to add to the validity of his story.

The closeness of the hallway made them feel a bit warmer than they should have as CJ spoke again, "I have never worked harder or longer than I did for this one." As he spread his arms up and out to outline a very large beast as he looked up then back down into Rita's eyes and spoke, "It put up a wonderful heroic fight right up to the very end. It was him or me, Rita, it was close, it could have gone either way. It was late in the day with the sunset just minutes away!" His eyes grew larger and his breathing became heavy and labored as he stared at Rita for a moment, as she tried to visualize her dad on a hunt, in a fight to the death with a dangerous and very large creature, both fighting for their lives. Rita was now holding onto Cody with one hand and had the other around her own throat with a look of awe on her face.

CJ broke the silence as he quickly sprang forward towards Rita shouting a quick burst of words, "It screamed as it died Rita!" Rita jumped and screamed at this point which made Dexter laugh so hard that he had tears in his eyes. He thought she was going to kick him for this one. CJ started to laugh too as Rita finally got it and felt like that little girl again. Her face was as red as a beet and actually gasped for breath! She let loose with a few choice curses directed at both of them, in front of the children which made them all laugh more. Cody and Astor had both jumped along with mom as grandpa yelled then felt better as they all laughed afterwards. Grandpa had got them this time. Rita and the kids grinned nervously and fidgeted for a moment trying to calm down feeling silly and upset at the same time

CJ led them into the den very slowly mocking Rita as he put his finger to his lips to keep them quiet and once they were all in the den he pointed over to the far wall by the window where they all saw the wild beast that CJ had almost lost his life to. There it was, stuffed and standing up on its hind legs with its mouth open in a snarly toothy grimace ready to bite anything that moved to save its own life. It was all of twelve inches tall and was the cutest little tan Meerkat with its' eyes ringed with black and its' little tail had a black tip; it looked a lot like a skinny squirrel!

It was really cute and Rita stood there at first trying to see the monster she had in her head based on her dad's story then once again it hit her that the furry little guy across the room was what CJ had been talking about all along! She slapped her dad across the arm and poked him in the tummy as he grabbed her and gave her a hug. CJ had to laugh and this started the rest of the safari members laughing too. CJ was having fun and the rest of his family, including Dexter, were all having a great time.

CJ stepped back and laughed and rolled his eyes as he told Rita, "You should have been there….." as Rita cut him off with a wave of her hand and gave her dad a mock look of disgust as she walked out of the den.

They went through the rest of the house then out into the garage. Once CJ had finished his tour he invited everyone into the backyard for a swim and a barbeque. They spent the rest of the afternoon eating and having fun as a family. Life for Rita was great and getting better everyday. She had forgotten about the spear for the time being and that was just fine as far as CJ was concerned.

The kids were spending the night at grandpa's so after a hard day of fun and good food from the barbeque they settled into their guest room to watch a movie before going to sleep. CJ had set up a TV and all the gear needed to get cable and play DVD's and video games. Rita helped them pick out one of their favorite movies, The Long Shot, which is about horses and a mom with her daughter and their experiences, not all good, but the movie has a happy ending. This was Rita's kind of movie; it seemed to mirror her life in a way with all the troubles she had experienced but now everything had turned around. Dexter was there, the greatest and kindest boyfriend any woman could ask for, her kids were happy again, and her dad was there. Just like in the movies, all was good.

Rita made sure the kids were tucked in and the movie was started before joining Dexter and her dad in the kitchen where they were sitting at the kitchen table. They were looking out of the window into the backyard at all of the trees that lined the wall surrounding the yard. Rita thought they must keep the pool service folks busy cleaning out all of the leaves but she appreciated the shade during the day. The trees were so beautiful at night with the landscape lighting CJ had installed throughout the yard that lit up the trees from the ground up casting shadows through the trees and against the wall. It looked so serene and calming. The pool lights added their own touch to the scene as the water shimmered from the breeze and the light escaping from the pool cast moving ripples of shadow and light on the trees and the wall as well. All three of them sat for a while just enjoying the serenity.

CJ got up slowly to get a bottle of water from the fridge and asked if Rita and Dex would like one also. He had a thoughtful, almost sad expression and wasn't looking at them when he asked about the water. He hadn't heard them actually but just brought back three cold waters and sat down again. He had been thinking about troubled times and how they had made him feel, sad, regretful, and pained. These troubling thoughts had haunted him over the years. CJ wanted, really needed, to get a few things off his chest, out in the open that maybe just speaking about them out loud would lessen the burden he felt. This might be a good time to talk with family, Rita and Dexter. He looked up at Dexter thinking he felt like he was family based on the way Rita loved him so. CJ nodded, more to himself, as they looked at him wondering what was he was thinking about that had turned him so sullen.

CJ looked at Rita and then to Dexter, with a troubled look on his face and asked, "I would like to talk to you two about a couple things, if that's okay? There are some issues I have, some burdens, that trouble me." CJ stopped for a moment trying to gather the right words to continue on, "There are some events that have troubled me over the years, from the war and some after, that, well, I haven't really had anyone I could talk to about, unload on so to speak, and thought if it was okay I could just get a few things out in the open here." He looked at them waiting to see if they would be okay with this, hoping that they would be.

Rita put her hand on her dad's, smiled and said, "Of course, dad, we are here for you just like you are here for us." She looked over at Dexter and waited for him to reply as well.

Dexter nodded and replied, "Yes, of course." As he smiled hoping he was getting it right. Dexter was curious about CJ's behavior. He wondered what could make a man who had fought in a war and had survived be so troubled. Dexter's lack of emotions and feelings didn't let him think, at first, that the fighting and killing was exactly what was troubling CJ. Dexter pondered a moment and it occurred to him that maybe CJ was troubled by the killings he had committed. Most people were not like Dexter and usually had the opposite reaction as Dexter had, as he had learned over the years and as Harry had pointed out to him.

Rita looked back at dad and continued, "Dad, I love you. Whatever we can do, just ask, even if its just listening."

CJ felt like this was the time so he spoke before he lost his nerve, "When I got back from the war in '68 I had to deal with some awful memories. I still think about those times and have a hard time even today dealing with how I feel about what I saw and what I did over there." He looked down at Rita's hand holding his and felt comforted by her warm touch.

CJ smiled at Rita and looked down again at her hand on his and continued, "I saw some action in Nam that got pretty ugly. We saw a lot of action up close with the enemy. We got a bunch of them and they got their share of us." CJ's smile had disappeared and his eyes didn't seem to be seeing Rita's hand on his anymore but were seeing something far away and from the past. He shook his head side to side a few times, took a deep breath and sighed.

CJ spoke again in a softer voice, almost distant, a little slower than before, "I lost a lot of friends over there; guys that I knew well, I knew about their families, what they wanted to do after they got back home. We ate together, slept together, fought together, and killed together." He paused for a moment as he thought about the guys he had grown to love and then lost. His expression was sullen and his eyes narrowed as he tried to remember their faces but couldn't anymore.

CJ looked up at Dexter, with a pained look on his face as he spoke, "I can't remember their faces anymore, Dexter, any of them. They deserve better than that. I feel so guilty, it tears me up inside." CJ was breathing shallow and hard. He was tensing up and the normal color in his face faded and he turned pale, looking almost like a ghost from the past.

Dexter could see how difficult this was for CJ as he was trying to tell them about what was causing him so much pain. He couldn't feel the pain but could tell CJ was very troubled by his experiences.

Rita had never seen her dad like this before, so pained, so hurt, not strong like he had always been for Rita through the years. Even through the bad times with the divorce from mom, Rita had never seen her dad so vulnerable. She felt so bad for her dad. She wanted to say something to make him feel better but she couldn't think of the right words that could be spoken in a sentence or two to make up for what her dad had been feeling for all these many years that hurt him so deeply. She squeezed his hand with hers and gave him a gentle loving smile. CJ felt her hand on his and her smile made him feel better, bringing him back from his past. What she couldn't put into words she had done with two very simple and very loving gestures.

CJ took a deep breath, gathered himself and continued, "I saw my buddies killed right before my eyes, while they were in mid sentence or trying to hear Charlie to get a fix on their position. One minute they were there breathing just like me, the next they were dead or wounded so badly they died in pain moments later bleeding out. Each time I was the one that survived. Not them, me. Each time I had a moment where I felt lucky, even happy that it wasn't me laying there. Each time right after that I felt guilty for being happy about being alive. Who was the lucky one? I've asked myself that question a million times."

Dexter could relate as CJ spoke about his buddies being killed in front of him, just like his mother was, in front of him and Brian. Dexter thought about the difference in their ages when these events took place in each of their lives. One being a 3 year old child at the mercy of his mother's killers while the other was an adult with a rifle in his hands able to shoot back. One was totally defenseless; the other able to strike back and kill those that wanted to kill him and his buddies. In some ways their experiences were very similar yet in others so different. One had turned into a serial killer and the other had been tormented for decades by his own memories. One had a conscience, one did not.

Rita asked her dad, "Why have you waited all these years to talk about this? Why now? I'm glad that you are because we can see how much this bothers you, dad. Why have you kept all this to yourself for so long?" Her feelings were coming out as questions at this point. Rita would have been there for her dad at any time through the years if only he had asked. She never had a clue that he felt this way. She felt bad that she could not have tried to help him earlier, years ago.

CJ knew why and tried to pick his words carefully so he wouldn't hurt Rita while he was asking for help now from her along with Dexter. "Rita, now is the time for several reasons. I tried on a couple of occasions to talk to Gail about some of this but she wouldn't listen. Before you met Paul I felt you were too young to hear some of this. When you married Paul then had children and with all the grief that man brought on this family I couldn't add to your burden with troubles of my own. So I held on and waited. I've thought about this for a long time, when to reach out and how to express myself so you can relate."

CJ was looking at Rita as he spoke and watched her feel his pain with her own expressions and her body language; she kept squeezing his hand and her lips kept curling into a frown as her eyes looked so sad, for him. It was breaking his heart to see her like this but he needed to get this out, to tell her and Dexter how he felt. This was his release, a way to get these thoughts and feelings out in the hope of feeling some relief.

He looked at Rita and spoke again, "You have Dexter in your life now. He can be there for you like I can, the both of us. I need to get these guilt feelings out and hopefully move on. The only way I know to do that is tell someone how I feel and why. I know this is not pleasant but it really is helping."

CJ had kept his feelings of guilt inside for 40 years and had come to accept them as a part of himself. He had realized that certain events were just simply not under his control but still he couldn't make the sights and sounds along with the guilt from these events go away. He had been there and felt lucky to have survived at what he thought of at times, at the loss of his friends. For this he felt guilty and it hurt.

Dexter was thinking again of the parallels between him and CJ and the thought occurred to him that CJ was a man with burdens that were not of his own making. He was shouldering the blame for being human, not inhuman. CJ had a conscience that had been working against him all these years.

Dexter spoke softly to CJ, "You have been through a lot, CJ, and we can see how troubled you are by the events you have told us about. I think that you are being too hard on yourself." Before he could continue Rita gave him a sharp look of disapproval.

She told Dexter in a firm voice, "Look, we need to be here to support dad, not give him a hard time. Please watch what you say. Okay?"

CJ watched the reaction from Rita and squeezed her hand this time to let her know it was okay.

Dexter continued as he looked at Rita first, "I know, Rita, I haven't finished yet. Please hear me out on this." Dexter sat up in his chair with a look of determination.

He looked at CJ again, "You have carried the guilt with you all of these years because you're a good man, CJ. You didn't start that war. You went into the service to protect your country. You were trained to fight and be honest here; you knew the risks when you went in. Every man that fought beside you did too. Every man that came home brought back their own pain much like you." Rita was looking at Dexter now with a different expression. She knew Dexter was being honest and really had her dad's best interest at heart. She felt bad about her comment from a minute ago but didn't speak because Dexter continued on.

Dexter shifted in his chair to look at CJ straight on, "You feel bad, CJ, because you care, because you have a conscience, and there is no shame in that. If you didn't feel bad then I would wonder why. You are a victim, CJ. You need to look at the same events with a different thought. You did not create those events, they just happened and you were there. You have done nothing to feel guilty about except you blame yourself for being human." Dexter sat back in his chair and watched as CJ thought about this for moment.

CJ didn't speak. He looked out through the window into the backyard. He thought about what Dexter had just said. Being human, having a conscience. It made sense. He was looking for something to get past this or at least a way to deal with it to keep the guilt from bringing him down. He would have to think more about this.

CJ turned to Dexter with a calmer expression as his body relaxed, "Dexter, I think you're right. What you say has merit, it makes sense. I can't erase how I have felt for all of these years but I do think I can get started on a new outlook for the future. It will take time." CJ nodded at Dexter then looked at Rita with a smile. Rita smiled back and then looked at Dexter.

She was amazed at how Dexter had come to the point so quickly and expressed himself so clearly. Her Dexter, normally a man of few words and not always to the point. Somehow this time he had pulled it all together and said exactly the right thing to help her dad and it was the right thing to say!

Rita looked at Dexter and expressed her approval, "You just amaze me, Dexter! You are such a good man and I am so lucky to have such a caring and loving man in my life. Now I have two wonderful, loving and caring men in my life with dad here." She looked at both of her guys with a silly grin and said, "Two is better than one!"

CJ added, "Double your pleasure! Sounds like a chewing gum commercial." They all laughed and the evenings tensions started to melt away.

Continue on to chapter three…..


	3. "Dexter & CJ"

Dexter waited several days then called CJ to see how he was doing since their talk. Dexter felt there was more to hear than what CJ had already talked about with Rita there and wanted to give CJ the opportunity to open up. Plus Dex was very curious about CJ's feelings about death and wanted to talk to him more about that if he would. Just after leaving work that evening Dex got out his cell phone and called CJ.

"Hello!"

"Hey, it's me, Dex, are you busy?"

"No, are you kidding, I'm retired! I make myself busy just so I can take a break anytime I want. What's up?"

"I wanted to drop by if that's okay and chat some more. Would now be good?"

"Sure, come on over. We can have some dinner, a few beers, and tell each other some tall tales!"

"I'm on my way. I can be there in about 20 minutes, see you then."

Dex hung up and thought about what he would ask CJ. He wanted to know more about CJ's experiences in Viet Nam if he would talk about them. He was curious about how CJ felt about taking another man's life. He hadn't mentioned that as being a problem the other night. Dex knew CJ liked to hunt and that meant killing even if it was just an animal. CJ had told him he had killed and butchered animals which meant he wasn't squeamish about blood or using a knife to open up an animal and gut them then cut them up. Dex knew there were a lot of similarities between them but also some basic differences. Animal's verses humans was a huge difference. But the rest of their rituals were pretty much the same. This thought made Dexter smile. He could enjoy something of this nature when it hit so close to home.

CJ had two steaks out ready to barbeque when Dex arrived. The grill was warming up and CJ was preparing two large potatoes to be grilled along with the steaks. That and some beer to help wash it down would make a good dinner and loosen their tongues; at least Dexter hoped that would be the case. They were outside on the patio letting the aromas from the barbeque tease their appetites as they sat on lawn chairs and drank a few beers. CJ would get up and tend to the cooking as they chatted then sit back down to have another sip from his beer.

Dexter finally asked CJ, "How have you been the last few days since our talk?"

"Not to bad, Dex. I've thought about what you said and I have backed off a bit on myself. I'm not blaming myself now. That's different. I knew down deep that I couldn't go back and change anything and what happened there was not my fault. I guess I just needed someone else to say the words. I needed to tell you guys how I felt to get it out in the open so we could all talk about it. I needed confirmation that I wasn't crazy!"

Dexter smiled and raised his beer bottle, "CJ, let's have a toast, to good food, good men, and being alive to enjoy it all!"

CJ raised his beer while grinning and replied, "Here's to good lies, good liars, and being able to know when the bullshit is starting to get thick!"

They both laughed and finished off their beers. The food was ready and they sat at the patio table as the sun set and they ate and talked about Rita and the kids for a bit then the conversation moved back to CJ.

Dexter looked at CJ with a more serious expression and started a new line of conversation, "You never mentioned the other night how you felt about killing the enemy." Dex looked at his face as CJ thought about the comment. He sat up straighter and took a drink. When he set his beer down he spoke.

"Killing the enemy was what I was paid to do. Sounds cold but it's true. I felt it, I knew I was killing another human being but I also knew that bastard was trying to kill me too. I couldn't then and not even today can I feel sorry about that. It just never bothered me much. Not like seeing my buddies killed. I know I should feel bad at some level and maybe I do a little bit but it's not something that ever got to me. Does that make me a bad person, Dex?"

Dexter liked CJ's response, it told him a lot about how CJ thinks. CJ was concerned about those that he loved and considered family and would do whatever it took to protect them; to the extent of taking another man's life if necessary. Very similar to the way I think thought Dex.

"No, CJ, not at all. Facing the reality of your situation and dealing with it like you have has kept you sane and made you a better man. Killing another person that deserves to die is not bad and does not make you a bad person." Dexter had a slight grin, an almost satisfied expression on his face, at the end of his reply while nodding yes and looking down at his own hands as he turned them over several times, as though he was lost in his own thoughts. CJ had the impression that Dex was talking about someone other than him, maybe himself. Dexter didn't realize at first how he had actually dropped his façade and was really in the moment. When it occurred to him he brushed his hands together several times like he was cleaning them and looked up to see CJ looking at him with a curious expression.

CJ spoke first, "Well, it seems we think alike, Dex. Am I wrong?"

Dexter wanted to go back in time, maybe five minutes would do. He had set this conversation up to find out about CJ and had, with the help of a few beers and a good dinner, along with someone he respected and was starting to admire, let his inner feelings slip out to be analyzed. He knew CJ was good at reading people and he had just given him something to read in big bold letters.

 _Dexter though he should just tell CJ all about himself, "Yes we do, CJ. I have a need. I have a void to fill. I have a dark passenger in me that needs to be fed often. I am a good man doing good things, contrary to others' opinions. I find the worst of the worst, other serial killers, yes, CJ, OTHER Serial Killers, and take them down. Down on my table. I do my homework, I always make sure they are the worst and meet my strict standards before going in for the kill. I let them know why they are on my table. I need to be in control of them and make them understand that I am not like them. Then I perform my ritual, the kill. I leave no evidence, nothing to trace. I'm very methodical and meticulous. Would you care to join me sometime on one of MY hunts, CJ?"_

Dexter looked a little sheepish, one of his masks, "Yah, I guess we do. In my line of work I get to see the under side of our society everyday. The thought has crossed my mind more than once that the world would be better place if we had a way of getting bad people off the street before they got to the innocents."

Dexter's cell phone rang, "Hello!" Rita wanted to know what he was up to and if he was going to be over. "Right now I'm at your dad's just finishing up with dinner. I can be over a bit later if you want, if it's not too late?"

Rita sounded a little surprised, "At dads, just you two? My two favorite gents getting together to talk about me behind my back, my gosh, Dexter!" She giggled and continued, "No, it won't be too late for what I have in mind, just be quiet when you get here, the kids are already in bed, in fact that's where I will be waiting for you! Don't keep me waiting too long now, as she made a purring sound, mmmmm."

Dex grinned into the phone, "I won't keep you waiting!" and hung up.

CJ sat there looking all around singing, "La la la la la la, oh honey love bug, my little sweetie pooh, I won't keep you waiting!" He broke out laughing and pointed to Dex, "You are so in love, Dex. You can see it a mile away!"

Dexter thanked his good luck for the change in the conversation as he stood up, "I hate to eat and run, CJ, but my boss just gave me my marching orders."

CJ laughed again, "Marching orders uh, don't forget that we are talking about my daughter here, Okay? Don't worry, Dex, just teasing." CJ stood up and walked over to Dex and slapped him on the back, and continued, "You are okay, Dex, I don't care what Rita tells me about you when you're not around! Get out of here, go. Don't keep the boss waiting."

"One more thing, Dex, I almost forgot, here is the combination to my safe. You and Rita already have keys to the place but I would feel better if you had this too, just you now. I need to know that if a situation ever comes up that the safe needs to be opened that someone I trust has this too in case I'm not here. Now get out of here."

Dexter took the slip of paper with the combination, thanked CJ, said good night then took off to go to Rita's.

During the drive to Rita's, Dexter thought about what had just happened; first the conversation then the combination to the safe. CJ now had a peek at the way Dexter really thought. He had covered his tracks nicely he thought but still he had really let himself slip up there. He knew he couldn't let that happen again. Letting CJ know about his private thoughts and god forbid, if there was a god, about his private excursions would be a disaster. No one, no one should find out. Letting his guard down for that one moment sobered Dex up immediately. Lesson learned.

The combination to the safe was another matter. CJ had said he trusted him. He knew that CJ wouldn't have given him the combination if he felt threatened or had second thoughts about him, even after the conversation. This was a good sign and he felt secure with this knowledge. He still had to try harder though to not drop his guard even a little like he had just a bit ago.

CJ went about his business cleaning up after Dex left while he thought about Dex calling then coming over and the conversation, and of course Dexter's answer. Very enlightening; Dexter was a nice guy, a good man for Rita, and like CJ, a man ready to protect his own using any means necessary. CJ was impressed.

CJ knew that he and Dex had hit it off and they would be seeing more of each other with and without Rita.

CJ wanted to talk to Dex some more about a couple of events that had happened after the war, just him and Dex. After their talk the other night he felt he could tell Dex about the shootings at the gun shop without worrying about how he would react. He felt Dex would understand and be okay with it. He would like to get these last two events out in the open and finally be able to talk to someone about anything, nothing hidden, no secrets. That would feel good.

***************************************************

He called Dex at work, "Hey Dex, its CJ, can you talk?" after Dexter's positive reply CJ continued, "Could you drop by for dinner some evening after work, I would like to talk some more, if that's okay?

Dexter thought that maybe he wasn't so secure after all but needed to find out, "Sure, would tonight be good?"

"Perfect. How about bringing over some of those pork sandwiches you keep telling me about that are so good so I can see for myself?"

"Will do, you won't be disappointed. See you about seven."

They hung up and CJ hoped the evening would go well for himself and hoped Dex wouldn't react adversely to what he would tell him. He thought everything would be fine, time would tell.

Dexter sat there for a moment, thinking about what CJ wanted to talk about. Hopefully not his own inner thoughts that he had let slip the other night. What was done was done. He would listen and act accordingly. 'Act", he thought, perfect.

CJ was in the den when Dexter let himself in and called out, "Hey CJ, get'em while they're hot!"

He met Dex while they both were headed to the kitchen. "Hi. Thanks for picking up dinner and coming over. I've got a cooler outside on the patio with a 12 pack on ice, hope that will be enough!", as he laughed.

Dex just nodded while he grinned and looked a little sheepish. They went out on the patio and the evening was still warm and humid as usual. The breeze helped make it somewhat comfortable. They put their sandwiches on the paper plates, opened a couple of beers and started eating.

"Hey, Dex, these are good. You will have to tell me where you get these."

"I'm glad you like them, they're one of my favorites. I'll give you the name and address of the shop later. So what's on your mind?"

CJ finished his bite then took a drink before speaking as he looked at Dex. Dex was a bit uncomfortable but just sat there waiting while eating his sandwich.

"I wanted to tell you about two events that I was involved in after the war where someone was killed." CJ watched Dexter's eyes narrow and return his stare. He continued.

"Both events were at the gun shop, one in 1992 and the other in 1996. I was in the shop at the counter by myself both times. I had people there but they were busy in the back or in the range."

Dexter was giving his full attention now to CJ. He stopped eating and listened.

"The first one in '92 caught me by surprise even though we always talked about the possibility of an armed robbery. We all carried side arms and we had panic buttons all over the shop just in case. We just felt someone would have to be a complete idiot to try and rob a gun shop, and we were right. This guy came in alone looking sort of nervous and kept looking around, several times. He was making sure I was alone. I was surprised that he would even attempt this but I took my own advice and pulled my 357 magnum out of the holster and kept it at my side just in case as I pushed one of the panic buttons. These were silent alarms with messages sent to each of our beepers. I knew the crew would be coming in with guns drawn in a moment and the police had been called automatically."

Dexter was impressed with the planning that had occurred according to CJ before the event took place, He would ask him about that later.

"This idiot was about 25 or so, looked like a druggy to me. He came up to the counter with his pistol at his side in plain view. He never saw mine. He started to raise his arm and I didn't wait for an invitation. I raised my 357 and aimed for his chest and fired off 2 quick shots. Both hit home. From the impacts he actually spun around and flew backwards into some shelving and ended up on the floor face down in a pool of his own blood. I had hollow points and the damage done to this fellow's back looked like a bomb had gone off. I yelled, clear, all ok, then repeated it again."

CJ was watching Dexter's expressions as he told him about the shooting. Dex was grinning, nodding his head in approval and looked quite pleased.

Dexter was thinking that good planning made the difference. Plan and then plan some more. Get it right, no mistakes. He couldn't believe how they were alike in so many ways.

CJ continued, "My crew came in and I told them to hold up, don't touch anything. Get all of the customers together out in the parking lot and tell them to keep quiet and that goes for you guys too. The police will be here shortly and I don't want anyone getting shot so make sure they all have their weapons unloaded. You guys keep your weapons loaded but in your holsters in case this idiot has a friend or two outside. Stay alert. I'll stay here."

CJ took a drink of his beer before continuing. Dexter had been listening and looked okay. His reaction was good. CJ was feeling better.

"The police arrived about 15 minutes later, pretty quick for the distance they had to travel. The customers and my crew all gave statements while several officers talked to me. They took my 357 and asked to me to join them down at the station which I did. I wasn't sure if I would be arrested or not at that point but for a fact I knew it was self defense. Plus we had surveillance cameras covering every square inch of the shop. They took the tapes but didn't get the opportunity to look at them until later. We had the shop set up according to the advice from the police. The panic alarms, the surveillance equipment, signs posted about alarms and cameras. All of it and this idiot still came in to rob the place."

Dexter made his first comment, "We see a lot of this, CJ. Most criminals aren't all that smart but some are. Some are very smart and a few combine that with street smarts and become very, very dangerous. To say the least all of them are dangerous. I'm glad to hear that you were prepared."

"Well anyway they let me go home that night and asked me to stay away from the shop until they gave me the all clear. I actually slept pretty well that night. It took awhile for me to calm down but when I did I was able to sleep. The next day I received the call that I could go back into the shop. The detectives had finished their investigation and the forensics' folks had completed their evidence gathering. The blood had been mopped up but not completely so we cleaned that up using rubber gloves and cleaning solvent then put the shelves back together and got the stock tidied up. We were back in business. The locals had heard about the robbery and the shooting so we had quite a few extra customers over the next week or so."

CJ took another drink and a bite from his sandwich like they had just been talking about a fishing trip, not a homicide. Dexter was really impressed now with CJ. Dexter had to admit that CJ was the first person he had met that talked about killing someone and didn't get upset; unless he considered himself of course. They had so many common experiences, but in their own ways. Dexter was enjoying this.

"I received a call from the detective handling the shooting about a week later and was advised that no charges would be filed. They had reviewed all of the evidence and had determined along with the Assistant District Attorney that it was a justifiable homicide. That was the end of that. I found out that the idiot who tried to rob me was a local druggy and had a record of small time stuff but not armed robbery."

Dexter couldn't help but feel good. CJ was a good man and knew how to take care of himself. Dexter smiled and let CJ know how he felt, "You did good and the outcome was great; one less bad guy to inflict his stupidity on the world. Now you are good with all of this, it seems so from the way you talk about it."

"Yes, I'm fine, no problems. I don't want Rita or the kids to know about this, okay?"

"No problem, not a word. You mentioned that there was another event in '96 at the shop where someone was killed also."

"Yes, very similar situation. This time it was an older guy though, looked pretty ragged but he had a pistol, a semi. This time my beeper went off just before he came in the door from the parking lot. One of my crew saw him with his semi already out and looking around like he was nervous. He was able to get to the panic button on the outside of the building we keep hidden by a service door. I had my 357, the same one, out and pointed at this idiot as he came through the door. He saw me and raised his arm. It was the last thing he ever did while breathing. We went through the same drill as before with the same outcome. Never had a problem like that again."

CJ repeated something that Dexter had said a few nights earlier, "Let's have a toast, to good food, good men, and being alive to enjoy it all!"

They both raised their beers and the bottles clinked as they touched then they finished them off.

"CJ, you amaze me. I've never met someone like you before. You have two sides to you, one is the happiest family man I've ever met and the other is a cool and calm hunter with trophies. I like both! Welcome to Miami!"

CJ laughed and returned the compliment, "As long as we are throwing around some bullshit here I have to say you are very much the same as me. Rita and the kids love you and you love them and on the other hand you talk about blood, murder, and such events like they were just part of you job!" CJ was looking at Dex with a huge grin and couldn't hold back any longer and burst out laughing.

"Actually it is part of my job." Dexter almost didn't get it out before busting up too.

Rita's two favorite gents had come to terms and understood each other; as far as each other could at that moment. They were friends and felt more like family.

Continue on to chapter four…..


	4. "Rita's Disaster"

Saturday morning brought a new day and Rita was looking forward to getting two days off from Motel Z before going back to work on Monday morning. Dexter was on his way over to help with some lawn work and Astor and Cody were watching cartoons. Breakfast was over and the kitchen had been cleaned. If Rita left any dishes undone and Dexter came over she would get the look and Dexter's first stop would be the kitchen sink. Deb and Rita had talked about Dexter's obsession with being neat and orderly and had to agree in the end it was better than the alternative even though at times it could drive you nutty!

Dexter came through the front door, happy as usual, with a large box of donuts and a big smile plastered on his boyish face. He had a few of everyone's favorite donuts this time which was good of course if you didn't count the calories. He stepped in front of Astor and Cody blocking the TV and asked with a dumb look on his face now, "What are you two doing anyway, lying on the floor like that?"

Cody yelled, "Hey, move out of the way, Dexter!", as he stood up, looked around Dexter to catch the latest event on TV and took his favorite donuts without missing a beat.

Astor looked at Dexter with her look of disgust, "You make a better door than a window, Dexter!" as she also jumped up to get her favorite donuts.

Rita snapped at everyone, "Paper towels everyone, now!" as she gazed at Dexter while he stood there looking helpless. She had to smile though. They went through this all the time. It seemed Dexter could be just as aggravating as a kid when he wanted to which was quite often.

Dexter walked over to Rita and whispered in her ear, "I have the special of day for you if you really want something good but it's not in the donut box!" He winked and nodded towards the bedroom and grinned as his brow lifted and his eyes looked devilishly at Rita.

She poked him in the stomach and grabbed the donut box and put it on the kitchen table. She winked back and whispered in his ear, "First you mow the lawn then we can play 'find the special' when the kids go outside to play!" She pointed to the back yard and smiled.

"Aw Rita, do I have to?" He stepped back before he got another poke and headed outside.

After the yard work was finished to Dexter's standards he finally went back into the house for lunch.

"Hey, what's for lunch? I'm starved. The yard is finished for another week at least and I'm hungry!"

Astor and Cody came out of their bedrooms and chimed in too to get some lunch.

Rita was already in the kitchen getting lunch prepared when all three of her hungry gang decided to attack the kitchen. "Hold on guys, it will be ready in just a minute. Kids, set the table for us, we are actually going to have a sit down lunch as a family. Dexter, turn the stove off and bring that pot over here by the sink."

Everyone followed the Chef's orders and lunch was ready and on the table a few minutes later. Spaghetti and meat balls with sauce and garlic bread; and for desert Rita had baked a white cake with butter cream chocolate frosting. It was always nice to have a bribe handy to get the kids to finish a good meal!

They finished off the spaghetti and made a big dent in the cake. They all sat back in their chairs when they were through eating and looked at each other. They all sighed at the same time which made Rita laugh. "Well I guess everyone enjoyed lunch. It's kind of hard to tell without a comment or two you know!"

Dexter smiled, "I was to busy stuffing my face with your fantastic food to say a word. But since you asked, Yup, it were right good!" as he made a dopey face and looked at the kids.

Both Cody and Astor laughed and told mom how much they loved lunch by repeating what Dexter had said. Rita accepted their 'Yups' with a big smile and just wanted to hug everyone. She settled for three volunteers to help clean up.

They all pitched in and once done they made their way back into the living room to relax and watch some TV. Dexter was a bit tired so he laid down on the couch with his head in Rita's lap while she ran her fingers through his hair. She loved these moments. Everyone was safe and healthy, happy and content. Dexter dozed off while Rita watched TV along with the kids.

 _They settled in on the lawn chairs in CJ's back yard and opened a couple of cold ones to top off the pork sandwiches that Dex had just introduced to CJ. Of course it started with a couple of loud belches to demonstrate how cool they were, knowing that Rita wasn't around to fake getting sick and yelling at them to act their ages! Of course they were acting their ages! Another secret they had closely guarded from their favorite lady._

 _CJ motioned to Dex to pay attention by pointing two fingers at Dex's eyes then to his own, several times of course. Dex acknowledged by belching and saying "Yo!" and held up his beer as a salute to a fellow killer._

 _CJ returned the salute then very calmly with a straight face asked Dex, "So, how many so far?" Then grinned with an expression of superiority and waited for the answer._

 _Dex knew his fellow killer was much older and had the benefit of the war to stack up the body count and was tempted to double his actual count but instead simply said with a smirk, "54. How about you, pop?"_

 _CJ laughed out loud and shook his head, belched, took another drink of his beer and told the kid, "Not a bad start for a young fella." then proceeded to bust up. CJ was thinking, kids, they always think they have one up on us older guys. CJ continued, "Okay, Dex, are you paying attention now, look at me and listen" as he grinned, "142 here and still counting!"_

 _"Good, CJ, better than good!" replied Dex. His expression told CJ everything, envious through and through._

Rita pushed her fingers into Dexter's ribs again in her attempt to wake him up from his nap as Dexter awoke with a start with his confused boyish expression and asked rather dumbly. "Do I talk in my sleep?"

Rita laughed and replied. "No, but you sure can belch when you're asleep!"

Cody chimed in "Yah man, you are so cool!"

Astor, with total disgust, her usual way of talking to Cody these days, blurted out, "No he's not. Belching is so rude, just ask mom you big booger!"

Rita laughed as Dexter grinned while he thought about his dream. He usually didn't dream but for whatever reason he just had. Once again he felt lucky that he hadn't blurted something out that would expose his dark passenger. Luck was still on his side.

The rest of the day went well. They were supposed to go to dads for an evening barbeque but Rita got a call from Motel Z, that she was needed to cover for a sick workmate, as a concierge. She protested but they really needed her, the motel was full, it was Saturday night and everyone seemed to need help of some sort or another. She finally caved in and committed herself to come in but she would leave early, around eleven. That way she could still salvage Sunday with the family before going back to work Monday morning.

She changed into her uniform and asked Dexter to drop her off at work, then sent Dexter with the kids off to dads to enjoy the rest of the evening. The kids could spend the night at grandpas' and Dexter could pick her up at eleven.

When Rita arrived at the motel it was early evening, around 6:00pm, and it was very busy for the first few hours then it slowed down for a bit so she took a break. While she was resting in the employee's lounge having a cup of coffee one of the young ladies, Araceli, from the front desk paged her to come up front as soon as possible, it was important.

Rita went to the front desk and found Araceli on the phone with one of the guests trying to apologize for something. The guest apparently hung up on her which left Araceli there staring at the phone then she hung up.

Rita asked. "What's going on?"

Araceli looked upset, "The guest in 412 is really mad that his package hasn't been delivered yet. We have it here but we haven't even had a minute to deliver anything until now."

"Don't worry, Araceli, I'll take it from here. Give me the package and I'll just go deliver it."

Rita took the small package, about the size of an average piece of paper, 8 ½ x 11 or so, but about 3 inches thick wrapped in brown paper which was sealed with tape at every corner and crease. It wasn't too heavy, maybe weighed about 2 or 3 pounds. She thought it would be too heavy for a picture frame but maybe about right for a book. The label said "Deliver to Mr. Smith upon his arrival". He had checked in an hour before apparently and the front desk hadn't given him his package; he had called no less than six times about the package trying to get it sent over to his room. With the heavy foot traffic at the front desk it had been impossible until now to bring it over. Rita hoped he wouldn't cause a scene or she might have to call security. Security was one retired gentleman that use to be a truck driver and Rita knew she could run faster than him in her heels. So much for that thought.

She was at the door for room 412 and her hand was inches away from knocking when she heard a blood curdling scream from inside the room. She hadn't had time to react yet when the door flew open and a woman with blood all over her neck and chest ran out of the room right into Rita knocking her back against the opposite wall leaving blood on Rita's blouse and jacket. Rita got a good look at her face because they were about the same height and when she ran into Rita their faces missed slamming into each other by less than an inch. The woman turned down the hallway and ran as she screamed and left Rita there staring into the room where she saw a man holding a knife with blood on it staring right back at her. She was frozen there with this image in her mind when the man started running towards her with an expression of pure rage.

Rita dropped the package and turned in the opposite direction from the woman who had been stabbed and ran towards the front desk lobby. She had never felt so vulnerable in her life, even with Paul, there was always a glimmer of hope; she ran as fast as she could screaming for help. She felt pure terror with her heart racing so fast she could feel it in her temples. These thoughts and feelings occurred in just an instant. Rita's body and mind were in the survival mode and her body was acutely aware of every detail within her scope of vision and her pursuer. The security guard purely by coincidence had just entered the hallway from the lobby as Rita ran towards him. He saw her and the man running after her as he reached for his two way radio and started to tell who ever was listening to call 911.

Mr. Smith stopped at that point thinking the guard had a gun and turned around and saw the package on the floor. He ran back and picked it up then proceeded to run down the hallway in the direction of his bloody victim. He went out the same exit door as his victim had, that led into the back parking lot and vanished from sight.

The time was 8:05pm, Saturday night in Miami with the muggy weather still hanging around making everyone feel warm and sticky. Rita didn't need the weather's help at this point to help her feel any worse than she already did. She was going into shock. She knew she was alive and unhurt physically but the aftermath of her witnessing the bloody scene that had just unfolded in front of her and then had drawn her into its horrible grasp was too much to handle now that the immediate threat was past.

What happened over the next few minutes was lost on Rita in her current state, physically and mentally. The security guard's plea to call 911 was heard by Araceli at the front desk. She immediately called and was told by dispatch that units were on their way. The time of arrival by the patrol officers was 8:13pm. In the mean time Rita was taken into the lounge where just a few minutes before she had been on a break, where Araceli and Susan from the front desk laid her down on the couch and elevated her feet while they covered her with a blanket. They kept talking to her to keep her awake and coherent. Rita had lost all of her color and looked very pale and felt cool and clammy to the touch. She was restless and a state of anxiety had set in. Her breathing had become shallow, labored, and uneven. Susan called 911 again to make sure emergency medical help was on the way, it already was. The EMT's arrived at 8:16pm and were directed to the lounge by the staff and the officers. They took over Rita's care and she responded quickly to their help.

At 8:09pm the dispatcher called Dexter Morgan on his cell phone. The dispatcher knew Dexter from the visits with his donuts and they had talked about their girlfriends. He remembered that Dexter's girlfriend worked at Motel Z so he thought he would give him a call to let him know something had happened there.

At 8:15pm Lt. LaGuerta received a call from the captain that Rita Bennett had witnessed a stabbing at Motel Z and had narrowly escaped being stabbed herself and was okay but was being treated for shock. She called Deb first, then Batista, then Masuka to get them all over to the motel immediately after telling each one what she had just been told and that she would call Dexter and then be there herself.

At 8:09pm Dexter received the first of two phone calls about Rita and Motel Z. He let CJ know on the side what he heard and left immediately for the motel. The kids were a bit confused and worried at Dexter's abrupt departure but grandpa calmed them down and assured them that everything was fine. Mom had gotten sick to her stomach and Dexter was just worried so he wanted to go pick her up early. They would be okay. Dexter would take mom home and they would call in the morning. CJ was worried now but knew Dex would call as soon as he could with the latest update. Hopefully this didn't involve Rita directly.

Dexter was driving as fast as he could without causing an accident when his cell phone rang, at 8:20pm. He was still about 10 minutes away from the motel. It was Lt. LaGuerta according to the screen I.D. This could be bad news but he had to answer, Dexter's heart was racing now in anticipation of news about Rita.

"Morgan."

"Dexter, Rita is doing fine, she wasn't injured, but she was a witness to a stabbing in one of the rooms at the motel and the perp went after her too but she got away. We'll find out more when we get there. We just got the call a few minutes ago and everyone is on their way there now, including Deb. Meet us there as soon as you can."

"I'm already on my way Lieutenant. The dispatcher didn't know the details as far as who was involved but he gave me a call a few minutes ago. See you there and thanks for the good news about Rita!"

Continue on to chapter five…..


	5. "The Investigation"

By 8:20pm the first responders from the Miami Police Department had sequestered all the witnesses, let the EMT's in to care for the lady in shock, and had taped off the hall way, the lobby, and the back parking lot . No one was allowed to leave the motel and no new arrivals were allowed in except for official police staff. One of the officers was stationed outside of room 412.

Dexter arrived at 8:30pm with his I.D. and the bag with his tools of the trade that he kept in his van. He was allowed in and went directly to Rita. She was responding well and had started breathing normally. Her body temperature was coming up, back to normal, and her color had started to return. She was still lying down, covered with a blanket and was still wearing the same clothes that had the stabbing victim's blood on them. This is what Dexter saw as he entered the lounge along with the two EMT's hovering over Rita. Araceli, Susan, and the security guard had been moved to separate offices to be questioned by the detectives once they arrived.

Dexter asked if it was okay for him to speak to Rita as far as her condition was concerned. The EMT's said yes but was advised to speak softly and not to get her excited. The EMT's would stay in the room.

Dexter knelt down next to the couch and put his hands on Rita's and gave them a tender squeeze of assurance as he smiled down at her. He saw her beautiful face that had been touched by terror; she was calm but very sad looking as though she was about to cry. Her lips trembled still and her eyes were still moist from her tears. Dexter's inability to feel true emotion did not dampen how concerned he was for Rita.

He spoke in a soft caring voice, "Rita, I'm here. Everything will be good now. Can you talk? Do you want to tell me how you feel right now?"

She nodded yes, "I'm so scared, Dexter. I've never seen anything like that before; I thought I was going to die. It was, was horrible." She started to cry softly as Dexter leaned over and kissed her on the cheek. He was acutely aware not to touch anything on her that would contaminate the evidence. He hoped the EMT's had been careful too but knew the blanket and the EMT's examination of Rita when they first arrived had been the first priority at that time.

"You are safe now, Rita. We are all here to protect you and keep you safe. You will be with someone every moment. I will have to go to the room in a bit to do what I do but I'll wait here until Deb gets here to be with you. The rest of the crew is on their way too. We will do everything we can to catch this bastard and take him off the street, Rita. Just rest now and relax." He squeezed her hand again and smiled.

By 8:50pm Saturday night the detectives were on the scene and taking control. More patrol officers were brought in to help work with crowd control and work with the guests to keep them in their rooms and keep the crime scene clear of everyone except the detectives and the forensics team.

While waiting for Deb to get there Dexter had time to think about the effect on Rita that nearly being a victim herself and seeing a bloody stabbing victim had on her. He knew that if she were to ever find out what he really was it could destroy her. She felt so much, so deeply. She was strong in many ways because of this but he didn't think she could handle the knowledge that he was actually the Bay Harbor Butcher and all that it meant; the actual deed of killing another human being, then slicing them up into pieces to make it easier to dispose of them. He let his guard down just for a second in front of CJ, then his dream earlier today. He was more determined now than ever before to gain control and stay focused to guard his secret life.

At 8:55pm Lt. LaGuerta and Deb entered the lounge. Dexter gave them a brief update and asked Deb to stay with Rita as he looked at LaGuerta for approval, she nodded okay. Dexter kissed Rita on the cheek again, "Deb is here, she will stay with you for now. I have to go do my job. I will be back as soon as I can, just rest."

He stood up and turned away from Rita and spoke softly, "Don't touch the blood areas on her clothing. I'll be back to take care of that myself. Right now she needs to rest and get some strength back before we put her through that. I know you have to get her statement so we can catch the bastard that did this. Do your job but be gentle if you can. Thanks." He nodded at both Deb and Maria and left the lounge. Dexter was on a mission. This would be the most thorough investigation he would ever perform. Details were important, they always were and he wouldn't miss a thing.

Dexter called CJ with the news about Rita and assured him she wasn't injured, just badly shaken. Deb was with her along with the EMT's and he would call CJ back with more news as soon as he could. Dex knew that CJ was upset and wanted to be there for Rita but Dexter reassured him everything was being done that could be and he needed to stay there with the kids. CJ finally agreed and thanked Dex for the update.

Masuka had already started with pictures and markers following the blood path starting in the room, out into the corridor over to the far wall, then down the corridor, out into the parking lot and ending at an empty parking space.

Dexter found Vince out in the lot, "Anything of consequence yet, maybe a wallet with an I.D.?"

"No, not so lucky this time. The room is empty, nothing. No suitcase or bathroom items. The towels weren't even used. All of the glasses are in their original wrappers. We will take everything back that we can to the lab to make sure but it appears this guy was here for one reason. What that was we still have to find out."

Dexter replied tersely, "We do know several facts so far. One, the stabbing victim was a woman and she wasn't with Mr. Smith when he checked in. Two, they were only here for about an hour. Three, he stabbed her and she escaped before he could finish the job. Four, Rita is the only witness that got a good look at both of them. Five, what ever the stabbing was about probably involved the package that Mr. Smith took with him along with the knife when he left. Six, we have a lot of blood to collect and test and hopefully some of it is from our Mr. Smith. I'm going back into the room to gather samples, take more pictures, and get a handle on how the stabbing unfolded in the room before she ran."

"Got it boss, I'll start with the hallway and work back out here to the lot." Masuka always wondered how Dexter just assumed he was in charge but in this case he wasn't going to argue the finer details.

"By he way, I'll handle Rita."

Masuka nodded and they went back inside.

As Dexter and Vince went about their investigation LaGuerta was interviewing Araceli, then Susan, then the guard. She wanted to develop the time line from start to finish with as much detail as possible. She was also getting all of the information about Mr. Smith that Motel Z had on file including his credit card and contact information; plus information on the courier that had dropped off the package earlier. The management was being very cooperative considering the effect that something like this would have on their Motel and the fact that one of their own had witnessed something so terrible and had almost become a victim herself.

Batista was interviewing all the guests starting with the rooms all around 412 then up and down the hall from the lobby to the exit plus the rooms that overlooked the back parking lot.

Deb was with Rita and had let her gain some strength back before she started her questioning in detail. The EMT's let Rita have some water as a starter to make sure her stomach could handle anything at all before letting her have some coffee which she was having a huge craving for. She needed something that she wanted and liked, to help her feel like she was getting back to normal and had some kind of control over her own destiny. Baby steps maybe but it was helping.

It took about 30 minutes before she felt okay sitting up. Deb told her not to touch her clothing where there was blood. Rita was strong enough now to handle that. Deb had her gym bag in her car when she got the call tonight and had one of the officers bring it in for her. She had some clean gym shorts and sweats in there and sent one of the officers to have Dexter come over to see if he couldn't get Rita out of her blood stained uniform.

At 9:28pm Dexter walked back into the lounge to see Rita sitting up drinking coffee, with Deb sitting next to her on the couch. The blanket was folded over in half covering Rita's legs with her jacket and blouse now fully exposed showing the blood patterns. Dexter smiled at Rita and walked over to her as he took in all of the details. Rita smiled meekly and looked a lot stronger than before but still looked weak and a little pale.

"I hear the patient wants to change clothes now!" as Dexter tried to lighten the mood with little success. He knelt down in front of Rita and set his bag down on the floor. He looked at Deb for any input while he put his hand on Rita's to help keep her calm.

Deb responded, "She wants to change out of these clothes, Dex. She's ready to give us more information about what happened to her tonight but these clothes are not helping." Rita nodded and listened almost like they were talking about another person. She was coming around okay but still felt so out of place like all of this was surreal, almost like a bad dream.

Dexter told Rita in a calm voice, "I have to get some photo's first before you can change. I will need your clothes for evidence. This will take a few minutes so just work with me and we will get through this as fast as we can. I will follow your lead so don't worry, we won't do anything unless you agree first." While Dex was talking to Rita, Deb got up off of the couch and opened her gym bag to get the clean clothes out. Rita felt strange having Dexter take the photos then having to remove her jacket, more photos, then her blouse, again more photos. After he was through with the photos and had bagged her clothes and the blanket, Dexter checked her fingernails, her hair, and all around face and neck, and her hands for any other traces of blood or skin. He took her shoes too for examination later. Deb helped Rita clean up at this point and get into the clean gym clothes. Deb's tennis shoes were a half size too big but Rita didn't complain. She felt better now that the blood from that woman was off of her, another step away from that terrible event.

Dexter gave Rita a hug, "I need to go back to the room to finish up and I'll be back as soon as I can. Deb needs to ask you some questions now. Do the best you can." He smiled then left Deb there to interview Rita. This was strange for all of them. Deb first met Rita when she responded to a domestic violence call at Rita's home; the call had been placed by Astor. She interviewed Rita then as a victim, now here, again.

At 10:00pm Dexter was back in room 412 and Deb was starting her interview with Rita. The dispatchers were given instruction earlier that evening, at 9:10pm, to put out an alert to the patrol officers in the area to look out for any suspicious vehicles in the area around Motel Z, it was a long shot but sometimes even long shots paid off. They had received the update that there had been a woman stabbed and the perp was a man, and both had fled the scene. This was all they knew at that point.

At 10:15pm a patrol officer found a vehicle about 2 miles from Motel Z that was in a parking lot of a furniture store that was closed but what had drawn her attention to the car was that it was at an angle with its front end up against the store wall. The wall had some minor damage from the impact, the front end on the car was damaged, and the engine was still running. The officer pulled up next to the driver's side of the car, a silver late model Mercedes coupe, and could see that the driver was still in the car, slumped over the steering wheel. She exited her patrol car and stepped up to the driver's window and turned on her flash light and tapped it on the window, no response. It was clear that there was a lot of blood on the woman in the car. The front windshield was not broken or cracked and the driver's side window was closed and not broken either but yet there was blood on the outside of the door on the handle.

The officer radioed in her findings and attempted to open the passenger door but it was locked. The officer had already put on gloves used for this type of situation to protect her from the blood. She then proceeded to the passenger side door and it was locked too so she used her baton to smash the window and enter the car to see if the woman was still alive. She felt for a pulse but she couldn't feel any. She radioed in again to get an ambulance on scene to verify her findings. She mentioned to the dispatcher that this may be the woman they had received an alert about earlier, the stabbing victim, and the detectives should be alerted. She gave the dispatcher the license plate number, the car's description, the woman's description as best she could tell under the circumstances and the woman's driver's license information she had found in her purse on the passenger seat. She also gave the dispatcher the description of the pistol she found in Mrs. Amora Escobar's purse, unfired.

At 10:25 dispatch called Lt. LaGuerta about the patrol officer's findings. She sent one of the new detectives over to check out the woman in the car along with Masuka and see if they could determine if she had been stabbed.

Dexter along with Deb and Angel were advised of the woman in the car. Masuka was instructed to get a clear face shot of the woman as soon as possible to see if Rita could identify her. They all continued with their part of the investigation as they waited for the photo to be sent over. Deb let Rita know, "Rita, we are not sure but we may have found the woman that was stabbed. Vince is on his way there now to see if he can get a picture that you can look at to see if you recognize her."

Rita looked startled, "You found her? Vince is going there? That means she's, she is, dead?" Rita looked at Deb with a very scared look on her face and Deb could see that Rita was not handling this well at all.

Deb gave Rita a comforting look, "Calm down, Rita, you are doing well now, you are safe. We've been talking about this for a while now and nothing has changed for you. The possibility that the woman you saw stabbed could die was always there, we just didn't know. It may not be her at all."

Rita's expression turned blank, as she looked down, like she was trying to internalize what Deb had just said and the reality that she could have been next was just hitting her, not as a running, screaming, witness, but as a sober thinking woman realizing how close she had come to being murdered; stabbed to death by a maniac. Gone, leaving her children without a mother or a father; Dexter, her dad, her kids attending her funeral. The reality finally set in and Rita's initial reaction of being scared turned to anger.

She looked up at Deb, "I want the bastard that did this caught and punished, big time! If I could just get my hands on the son of a bitch that tried to make my kids orphans I would make sure he didn't hurt anyone else ever again!" Rita's expression had changed to that of a mother that wanted the blood of the monster that could change her kid's life for his own stupid selfish reasons; not again she thought to herself thinking of Paul. She thought that this manic was the type of monster that didn't deserve to live. If only she could make it so.

Deb looked at Rita who was fired up now and angry, "I agree! For right now though let's continue getting everything you can remember down on paper and let us do our jobs to catch this guy. The more we have to work with the better chance we have."

At 11:25pm Masuka sent the four photos via email to LaGuerta. She uploaded them on one of the computers at Motel Z and then printed them out. Masuka called and said that in his opinion the woman in the car was a stabbing victim and probably bled out with external and internal bleeding in less than 10 minutes or so and the approximate time of death was consistent with the time line at the motel and the distance they found her from the motel. More accurate information could be determined once an autopsy was performed.

LaGuerta put the photos in a manila folder and went into the lounge. Deb and Rita both looked up as she walked in with a serious look and the folder in her hand. She sat down next to Rita on the couch.

"Rita, I have four photos here that are not pretty but could be used to identify the woman you saw, if this is her. I will show you one at a time. There is a lot of blood and the woman is dead." LaGuerta paused to see Rita's reaction. Rita straightened up as she listened and nodded.

She opened the folder and showed Rita the first picture as her and Deb looked on to make sure Rita could handle seeing the photograph. Rita gasped at first when she saw the picture, just as Maria had described it. After a minute she looked at Maria and nodded again. They went through all four photos.

Rita spoke first, "That's her, the woman I saw." Rita closed her eyes for a moment and gathered her thoughts. She had just described the woman to Deb. Now she had seen the photos. There was no mistake. She Continued. "I'm positive. She's the one that ran into me coming out of 412, all bloody and screaming."

LaGuerta and Deb continued on for a few minutes questioning Rita, double checking Rita's previous description and the details in the photos. They were sure that Rita had made a positive identification. The blood analysis on her clothes would be the final piece of evidence to make it absolute. They needed the woman's finger prints to match up with the driver's license and the identification of Mrs. Amora Escobar would be complete. Then they could check for a husband or a boyfriend, or both, and a criminal record, and the investigation could move forward. They needed to catch this guy before he could find Rita, that was another problem but one they had control over.

The two field investigation went on into the night and ended near dawn at 5:20am on Sunday morning. The Motel was handed back over to management except for room 412 which was sealed off for follow-up as needed. The evidence from the motel and the woman's car were all back at the station and the Medical Examiner's office had taken possession of the woman's body. By 8:05am that morning, twelve hours from the start of Rita's disaster, the woman had been identified as Mrs. Amora Escobar and the woman Rita had seen running from room 412. The investigation was just getting started. It was time to review all of the evidence and assign teams to follow up on each lead.

Continue on to chapter six…..


	6. "The Investigation, Day Two"

At 4:10am Sunday morning Dexter walked into the lounge. He had completed the evidence gathering and had the stabbing scenario mapped out based on the blood patterns in the room, the information that Rita had given him as an eye witness and of course Masuka's input from the furniture store parking lot. Masuka was back and would wrap up here and take the evidence back to the lab.

He needed another cup of coffee to keep him going a little while longer. He wanted to get Rita out of here and moved to a safe location, her dad's. There was no way of knowing what Mr. Smith knew about Rita and Dexter was not going to take any chances. He phoned CJ and let him know that Rita would be staying with him along with the kids until this case was solved. He would bring Rita by first and then go back to her house to get the first load of necessities for her and the kids. They could talk more then about a game plan until this situation was resolved.

Rita was asleep, finally, on the couch. Deb, Maria, and Angel were talking over by the coffee pot. As Dex poured his coffee he gave them his update and listened to theirs. He had determined that the stabbing was a single thrust from overhead coming down and had most likely caught Mrs. Escobar in the upper left shoulder and chest , based on Masuka's input along with the blood spatter pattern, and had missed the heart and a major artery otherwise she would have never made it out of the room. The internal bleeding most likely caused her to pass out then she simply bled out. The autopsy would confirm the exact details. The killer was right handed based on all of the input.

Maria told everyone to get a few hours sleep and be back in the pit by 11:00am. In the mean time they would wait for the autopsy report and based on that they would proceed with the review of everything they had up to that moment. Angel and Maria left first, leaving Deb alone with Dex as Rita slept.

"How is she, Deb?"

"Considering what she's been through very good. She's been through a lot with Paul and now this. It put her into shock at first, then she was scared, then she really got fucking pissed at Mr. Smith! She gave me a good description of everything she saw. She fell asleep at about 2:00am or so. What are you going to do now?"

"I just spoke to CJ about Rita and the kid's staying there until this case is settled. We need to catch this bastard and put him away."

"Well based on what Rita told me she would like to be there to take this guy out herself!"

"You said she was pissed! Doesn't sound like her but I guess this is the type of incident it would take to set her off! Thanks, Deb, for taking care of her tonight." Dexter was looking at Deb with a concerned expression that let Deb know that her brother was not going to rest until Mr. Smith was history. She felt the same and nodded to Dex with an unspoken acknowledgement that she would do everything she could do also.

Dex walked over to Rita and looked down on her as she slept. She looked so peaceful like this. He hated to wake her but they needed to get out of here and over to CJ's. Dexter didn't want Mr. Smith to get desperate and come back now and find her here.

He got Rita up and the three of them along with two officers left Motel Z and went to Dexter's van. Dexter and Rita left the property with a patrol unit on their tail per Dexter's request. He would radio dispatch to have the patrol unit back off when he felt it was safe. He was going to take a round about way to CJ's. No one would be following him.

They arrived at CJ's at 5:05am. The kids were still asleep. Dexter, Rita, and CJ went into the kitchen to get something to eat and talk before Rita went to bed to get some much deserved sleep. CJ made some pancakes and coffee. Rita ate like she hadn't eaten in a week. Dex and CJ ate what Rita left for them and they watched on as she devoured her food. Rita hadn't eaten anything of substance since lunch the day before. The coffee and a few candy bars at the motel earlier had kept her going but her body was spent. The initial adrenalin rush from the original encounter then going into shock had taken its' toll on her. The bloody clothes, the pictures of the dead woman, the questions about everything she could remember, in detail, and the emotional roller coaster through the night had all taken something out of Rita; one bite at a time.

CJ finally asked how she was doing. Rita sat back and looked at her empty plate and took a drink of coffee before answering. "I feel like last night was a bad dream, a nightmare, dad. I've never seen anything like that before or had someone come after me with a knife to try and kill me. It all happened so fast. One minute I was standing in front of the door and the next a crazy man was chasing me with a knife." She looked at her dad and Dexter with a frown and sad eyes, shaking her head from side to side. They could see that she was very tired and ready to sleep. "Why? Why, Dexter? What happened in there? She was looking at Dexter now with determination. She wanted answers and was starting to get angry again.

"I can't answer that yet, Rita. We will though. With what you gave us and the rest of the evidence we will be able to put together something, most likely later today. Not the exact 'why' but a good guesstimate. We are just getting started. We won't quit until we have this guy off the street." Dexter was very determined and knew he would use every avenue available to him through the MMPD and his own expertise gained through many nightly excursions, to rid the city of Miami of one Mr. Smith. Mr. Smith had fucked with the wrong family!

Rita finally went to bed and left CJ and Dexter to talk. CJ asked, "Dexter, will you keep me in the loop on this? I need to know what is going on to get this guy. It hurts me inside to know that Rita was so close to being a victim of this idiot and he's still out there. I wish I could find him first." CJ was serious and left that impression on Dexter.

"CJ, you need to be here with Rita and the kids to keep them safe and give them your support, especially Rita. Let us do our job and we will get this guy."

CJ nodded, "Just keep me up to date, Dex. Thanks." CJ was already thinking how he could find Mr. Smith but he knew he needed something to go on. Maybe Dex would give him something, anything that would help him find this animal. He would hunt him down and take him out like he had done with so many animals before. This one would be the hardest to find and yet the easiest to take out. He would keep Rita safe.

After Dexter made the trip to Rita's and back to CJ's he went home to shower and get back into the lab. He had a lot of experience pulling all nighters and today he didn't want to waste any time on sleep unless he absolutely had to, then a nap would suffice.

He walked out of the elevator and into the pit at 8:02am Sunday morning. At 8:05am in the Coroner's office the blood samples and finger prints were finished being processed and the body was officially identified as Mrs. Amora Escobar and was the same woman that had run out of room 412 into Rita. Masuka brought Dex up to date then took off to get some sleep.

Dex went through everything he and Masuka had gathered along with the autopsy report and prepared his report. He was ready when Lt. LaGuerta called everyone together at 11:00am to review everything to date. Maria herself had come in early arriving shortly after Dexter had to check on Mrs. Escobar to see if she could gather anything useful before the rest of the squad came in. She found that she was married and both her and her husband, Mr. Alfredo Escobar, currently lived at the address on Amora's drivers' license. Amora did not have a record but Alfredo did. He had been tried and convicted on two minor drug charges years before and more recently had been suspected of being involved in some major drug deals but had not been charged.

At 11:00am in the briefing room Lt. LaGuerta made sure that there was fresh coffee for the troops and as usual Dexter had brought in donuts, 2 dozen this time. They started off with LaGuerta confirming the identity of the stabbing victim. She went to the white board and started listing the events and facts they had gathered so far.

Witnesses; Rita, security guard, Susan, and Araceli. As she wrote Rita's name on the board the team looked at Dex with concern, wondering how Rita was handling all of this. Dexter acknowledged with a gesture and a nod to indicate just so so, not good. The security guard got a quick look at Mr. Smith. Araceli and Susan checked Mr. Smith in. Rita saw Amora and Mr. Smith They would get a sketch artist to work with Araceli and Susan, the security guard, and then Rita.

Room 412 at Motel Z; Mr. Smith, real I.D. unknown at this time; he stabbed Mrs. Amora Escobar. She fled then died shortly thereafter from her wounds. No finger prints except for Mrs. Escobar were found in the room.

The package; Rita had tried to deliver it to the room; was about 9" by 12" by 3' thick, about 2 pounds, maybe a little more. The package was about the right size and weight for a kilo of pure uncut heroine with a street value in excess of $100,000. This was a guess but it fit based on the background of Mr. Alfredo Escobar and the scene in 412 assuming something went south, a double cross maybe.

The motel had a record of Mr. Smith; he had stayed there twice before. All three times on a Saturday night, late check in and always for just one night and an early check out. It had appeared the Mr. Smith was having an affair before the events of last night unfolded. The three visits spanned over a 3 month period.

The courier service; it was a fake, didn't exist.

The other motel guests; none of the guests at the motel had seen or heard anything. None of the guests appeared to be out of place but they all would be checked for priors and associations.

The blood samples; were all from Mrs. Escobar.

The knife, the package, and Mr. Smith; all had disappeared. They had no record of his vehicle. Apparently the motel was not concerned with these types of details if left blank.

The description of Mr. Smith; Hispanic male, short brown hair combed straight back, no facial hair, medium build, approximately 5' 10" and about 180 pounds. Once they had a sketch from the witnesses they could compare that to known associates of Mr. Escobar and run it by Narcotics. Hopefully Mr. Smith was known within the drug community.

LaGuerta's assignments;

Angel Batista; assigned to the motel guest's background checks.

Debra Morgan; assigned to work with the sketch artist and the four witnesses then distribute the sketch to everyone and narcotics plus vice just in case.

Lt. Maria LaGuerta; would visit Mr. Alfredo Escobar and notify him of his wife's death and see if he knew of anything that he would give up anyway that would be helpful. She would take two patrol officers with her for this interview. Of course she would bring the Captain up to date first then be on her way.

Forensics; Dexter Morgan and Vince Masuka were to review all of the evidence to make sure nothing was missed. Vince would contact the Medical Examiners office and make sure the coroner had taken samples from the victims' fingernails and see if they could give them a description of the knife used in the stabbing. This last part was at Dexter's urging.

Dexter had already reviewed the evidence and everything was in his report. He was free for the moment to look into a few things on his own. It was 12:15pm Sunday afternoon. First he would check in with CJ and see how Rita and the kids were doing.

CJ answered his cell phone, "Hey Dex."

"How is Rita doing?"

"She's still asleep. I check in on her once in a while and she seems to be resting comfortably. Astor and Cody are up and know mom is here. As far as they know she's a bit sick and is resting and you are at work. They were curious about their stuff being here so I told them they would be staying a few days until mom gets better. Since school is out for the summer they can stay here with grandpa and help with chores. Of course if they want to go swimming to take a break that's okay too." CJ acted happier than he was.

"Good to hear, CJ. We know who the woman was now at the motel, a Mrs. Amora Escobar, and we are following up on that. Also, Deb will be calling to bring over a sketch artist to see if Rita can describe Mr. Smith well enough for a sketch. Three of Rita's coworkers will be doing the same thing. Hopefully we will have a composite later today to work with. Have Rita call me later after she wakes up and feels up to it."

"Okay, Dex, will do. Thanks for the update, later." CJ had a name. Hopefully later he would have a face. Maybe there would be a way to tie them together. If he could he would take this idiot out like a deer caught in headlights!

Dex called Masuka to make sure he got the Medical Examiner to come up with their best possible description of the knife wound and a possible knife type. Dexter wanted to know how deep the entry was and if they could provide any detail on the knife itself. Dexter knew that every detail was important and had a hunch. The more he knew about the knife the easier it would be to check out his hunch.

Dexter spent the next two hours doing research on his computer in the lab on gang member monikers. If his hunch paid off the list he came up with could very possibly include Mr. Smith. It was amazing how many El Cuchillo's, The Knife, there were in the gang data base, He researched the prison records for recent releases prior to three months ago and down loaded their records along with their pictures along with the gang records that fit. His list was extensive but it was a starting point. The records included the descriptions of their tattoo's and the weapons they were found with or had used, which included knives. Once he heard back from Masuka he would go through the list and tag everyone that came close. Tie that in with the composite and hopefully they would know who Mr. Smith really was. All they needed was a name then Mr. Smith the mystery man would be a known quantity that could be divided into many small pieces by the Dexter equation.

It was 2:35pm when Masuka called. He was emailing the follow up detail on the knife wound and the medical Examiner's description of the blade type that had created the wound. Dexter went to work. It took another 3 hours to review each record but in the end he came up with a list of 28 possible's. They were all Hispanic, around the right size and had a history of knives which matched or came close to the M.E.'s report. Dexter's best guess at this point was that the knife used was referred to as a boot-knife. Kershaw made one that was easy to get, relative inexpensive but good quality, a very popular model. The blade was only 3-3/4" long and was double edged, one edge was serrated and the other smooth and both very sharp. The knife only weighed about three ounces and had a total length of 7-3/4". It was a fixed blade knife with Elastomer handles that provided a secure grip in humid conditions. The perfect knife for Miami and it was so common it was almost untraceable; unless of course you found the right knife with the right blood on it.

Continue on to chapter seven…..


	7. "A Drug Deal Gone Bad"

EL Cuchillo, The Knife, also known as Emmanuel Cervantes realized that he had screwed up in spades, but the deed was done and he had froze. He had actually stabbed Amora, his ex-wife. She had pissed him off, questioned his manhood, and insulted him while they were in the motel room. She always had a mouth and Emmanuel thought the deal would be easy with her there but she had to be a bitch. Some things never changed.

She had divorced him while he was in prison which was bad enough but the bitch had gone on and married Alfredo Escobar, Miami's Drug Lord. Escobar was ruthless, he had risen to the top by dealing with his enemies with brute force and bloody brutality; when coupled with his street smarts this made him a very dangerous man even on a good day, now this. Fuck!

It was 8:10pm Saturday night and EL Cuchillo was in his car heading for his brother's place, Juan Jairo Cervantes, JJ; also know as Jiggety. JJ was the nervous type and the family had nicknamed him Jiggety. He was the thinker of the two and Emmanuel needed JJ to figure out what to do. He had called JJ to make sure he was there and told him to stay put and he would tell him everything when he got there. He kept his speed within the limit; he didn't need a cop in his life right now. He was pissed off at the bitch and himself. He was confused and needed JJ to figure out some way to keep them alive!

He arrived at JJ's at 8:45pm, parked around the corner and walked the rest of the way. He had to be extra careful from this point on; he needed to take every precaution he could since Escobar would be after him. This was like the kiss of death unless they could come up with something. " _God knows what?"_ , he thought.

JJ led Emmanuel into the living room of his little house. It wasn't much but he called it home. It was on the bad side of town and the house needed a lot of work but JJ didn't care. He just needed a mailing address and a place to crash. When he was with the ladies he always went to a motel. He had money from the drug deals him and Emmanuel were involved in and never thought about the future; he figured he wouldn't live that long so live it up now. JJ asked Emmanuel, "EL Cuchillo, what the fuck happened man?"

"I went to the motel like always. Amora, like usual man, was supposed to give me the money and I would give her the heroine; one kilo of uncut pure fucking heroine. Sweet deal but the package didn't come on time. I called the front desk and kept getting the fucking run around, shit. Just before some stupid blonde bitch came with the package Amora went off. She started yelling at me about the time and she had to meet Escobar and how she was already late, man!" Emmanuel was pacing back and forth, sweating, talking with his hands and his face was all red. He kept looking at JJ then off in different directions. Emmanuel was losing it.

JJ was just as nervous at this point knowing something had gone bad, real bad. He asked, "Emmanuel, what the fuck did she say?"

"She told me I wasn't a man because I couldn't get her the package on time. I kept telling her not to lose it. Let it happen, it would, no problem. We had done this twice before, no problem. I got my connection while I was in prison and everyone was making money, stay cool! But no, not Amora the bitch! She finally called me, EL Pequeno Palillo, The little Toothpick! I pulled my knife and put it next to her face and then she spit on me. I fucking stabbed her right there. She screamed, backed up, and started towards the door. Her left side by her neck and chest was all bloody, man. That bitch was bleeding. Then I froze. Fuck! I could have stopped her but I froze. I thought about Escobar and what he would do to me, to us."

At this point JJ was pacing himself, thinking. He was trying to picture what had happened; two fucking hot heads in the same room together. He should have gone himself but it was too late now. Then he thought about the blonde Emmanuel had mentioned, the drugs, and the money.

"Emmanuel, what about the drugs and the money, where are they? Who is this blonde bitch you mentioned?" JJ was giving Emmanuel a hard angry look now but backed off so his brother would talk and not try to fight him now. He always had to watch out for EL Cuchillo, he had a fast temper.

"I have the drugs, the blonde from the motel was delivering the package when Amora ran out of the room. Amora never gave me the money. When I saw the blonde I realized she saw Amora and was looking right at me with my knife in my hand. Amora was all bloody and my knife was dripping with blood. She saw me, my face; she can put me in the room with all the blood for the cops. I snapped out of it and ran towards her to get her into the room to take her out and get the package but she ran before I could get to her." Emmanuel had stopped pacing and was thinking back, putting his hands to his head, trying to remember the details.

He went on, "When I came out of the room and turned to run after her I saw the security guard coming into the hall towards me and he pulled a gun. I turned back and saw the package on the floor that the blonde dropped when I went after her. I picked it up and went out into the parking lot. Amora's car was gone. I got into my car and came here." Emmanuel was looking at JJ now like a confused man. He didn't look tough at this point, only scared.

JJ thought for a moment, looked at his little brother and tried to be the man in charge, "Okay, Emmanuel, we have the drugs. Amora left on her own. She would have called Alfredo and he would take care of her. She will be okay, I hope. If not, little brother, we are in big fucking trouble. We can call Escobar and let him know what happened. He will understand. He needs the drugs and we need the money." JJ looked at Emmanuel as he spoke. The expression on Emmanuel's face went from scared to a look of disbelief, almost shock!

"JJ, what the fuck are you thinking? I stabbed Amora, his wife, his woman! He will want my fucking balls handed to him. And you want to call him?"

"Look, I will call and make the exchange, not you. Let this thing cool off for a while then we will fix it and maybe we can see about another deal next month. Escobar is a business man first. We have to count on that otherwise we could both end up dead. We can't run, man. He will find us. This is the only way." JJ went to Emmanuel and put his hands on his brother's shoulders as he looked into his eyes. He knew that Emmanuel would listen, he always had before.

Emmanuel shrugged, "All right, JJ. When do we do this?"

"Not tonight, first thing in the morning. In the meantime I will call my guy at MMPD to see if he has heard anything yet. We have to believe that the police are at the motel right now. You wait here and I will call." JJ went into the kitchen and got two beers, he went back and gave Emmanuel one then went back into the kitchen.

It was 9:20pm Saturday night. "Hey.", the man answered on the other end of the call. He knew who it was.

JJ spoke, "I need your help, man. Have you had anything happen at Motel Z tonight?"

The dispatcher thought for a moment, this could be a profitable phone call. "Well yes, JJ, now that you mention it there has been some activity over there. How much do you want to know and what are you willing to pay for this valuable information?"

JJ knew he was the fish here but he needed to know what was happening and would need more information later. "You give me everything up to now and keep me updated and I will make it worth your while; how about a grand tonight and a grand everyday until this little problem goes away?" JJ held his breath, he knew his buddy was only his buddy as long as he could make some money off of JJ, which was okay. JJ knew how the game was played.

Finally Armando, one of the MMPD's dispatchers, in his finest moment, said, "Make it two grand tonight and a grand a day after until our business is concluded." He smiled into the phone.

JJ felt the hook tighten but had to say, "You are the man, Armando. You know when you have me. Good, two grand tonight and a grand a day until we are done. Give me what you have."

When Armando was finished, JJ thought for a moment.

It was 9:28pm Saturday night. "Armando, you said you called one of the forensics guys, Morgan, and that his girlfriend works at Motel Z. Is she the same woman, the blonde that was almost stabbed?"

"Yes, that's her, Dexter's girlfriend. Why?" Armando knew now he could have gotten a lot more money but he didn't dare cross JJ now. His brother, EL Cuchillo, had to be the one with the knife, it made sense now.

"Do you know her name or where she lives, Armando?" JJ hoped he wouldn't feel the hook tighten again but he knew it would.

"Just her first name, Rita, and I don't know where she lives." He paused for effect then added, "Maybe I can nose around, if it was worth my time. This is more than just passing along what I hear." He waited.

JJ needed to know. He needed this woman taken out otherwise Emmanuel could be in prison for the rest of his life, his only brother. "Yes, Armando, I will pay. Get me the name and anything else on her that you can and we will talk about what it is worth once I know how much you have. I promise to make it worth your while!" JJ was also thinking about taking care of loose ends, other than this Rita, but that would be dealt with later, once Armando had given him everything he needed.

Armando agreed and hung up. He already knew her last name and getting her address would be easy. He had also heard that her dad had just moved into town and suspected she might be spending time there too. This would take a little more effort. In either case he would be making some big money. Armando and his girlfriend could have some real fun now! Armando was already spending his money and he hadn't even delivered the good information yet.

JJ and Armando knew each other from the days back on the shipping docks when they were younger. Since that time they had taken different directions in life but occasionally their paths crossed, like tonight. It always came down to business, supply and demand. It's what makes the world go around.

JJ went back into the living room to let Emmanuel know what was going on. He found his brother on the couch, doped up and passed out. EL Cuchillo was a user and that along with his temper made him a danger to himself and those around him. JJ was always on edge about this but he was his brother. Emmanuel would be out for the night. At least JJ would not have to babysit him. He didn't have the package but EL Cuchillo knew where it was and he was out. JJ had to wait for Armando before he could do anything else. This night would be a long one. Hopefully Amora would be good and Alfredo would not come looking for them. What a fucking mess. JJ called one of the girls he knew, Mimi, that would help him pass some time and take the edge off, for a price of course. Mimi was a local and always liked the attention the Cervantes brothers had given her but tonight it would just be JJ with his little Mimich, his pet name for her. It was 9:35pm Saturday night.

At 8:05pm Saturday night Amora ran out of the room and straight into a woman that was standing at the door. Her momentum carried them both back to the far wall in the corridor and had actually kept her from falling down. Amora shoved away from the woman and ran down to the exit, out into the parking lot, and got into her car. She drove off as fast as she could towards home and called Alfredo on her cell phone.

It was 8:08pm and Amora was bleeding badly and very scared, "Alfredo, the mother fucker stabbed me! I'm bleeding bad, I need help. What do I do? Help me!" She was already growing light headed as her bleeding internally and externally drained blood from her head. She started to loose control of the car, weaving down the road. She tried to speak once more but only slurred a few sounds then blacked out.

Alfredo yelled back but no answer. He didn't know where she was or exactly what had happened. Maybe EL Cuchillo had seen her reach for her gun and got to her first. They were going to take out Emmanuel and take the drugs. EL Cuchillo was too crazy, to dangerous. He smelled like trouble and always had been. Alfredo thought this was the perfect setup with Amora to take him by surprise and end their dealings with this man. Something had gone wrong. Had Amora shot him? What happened? Would Emmanuel, if he was still alive, or JJ, call him or come after him? Would the police contact him first? What a fucking mess. This night would be a long one. All he could do was wait. It was 8:11pm Saturday night.

Continue on to chapter eight…..


	8. "Business is Business"

At 9:05 am Sunday morning JJ arrived back at his house alone, after spending the night with his Mimich. He found Emmanuel still asleep on the couch. JJ made some coffee and woke his brother. It took a while for Emmanuel to come around but he finally did and JJ helped him into the kitchen. They sat at the kitchen table with two cups of hot coffee. After their second cup, working on a third JJ looked at Emmanuel.

"Where is the package?"

Emmanuel had been thinking about last night and had just come down off of a drug high and felt like shit. His appearance mirrored how he felt. He looked up at Jiggety.

"It's in my car, in the trunk. My car is around the corner." His head hurt but he was starting to think a little more clearly.

JJ took Emmanuel's car keys and retrieved the package. He put the package on the kitchen table on top of an old towel. They looked at the blood stains on the package. Emmanuel was fully awake now and looked at his brother with fear in his eyes.

"JJ, what do we do now?" Emmanuel's voice was shaky and he spoke softly as though he didn't want anybody else to hear him except for JJ. EL Cuchillo was visibly shaken. The reality of his fuck up had sunk in and he needed help.

"Emmanuel, I am going to call Escobar now. I want you to keep your mouth shut no matter what you hear. I have a friend working on something for us that could help us get out of this mess if we handle our end right. Okay?" JJ was nervous as hell but he knew he had to maintain his cool or else they would both end up dead.

"Okay, JJ." Emmanuel answered, like a little boy answering his father.

JJ dialed Alfredo Escobar's cell phone. It was 9:45am Sunday morning.

Alfredo was expecting the call and answered it.

"Escobar." He waited for JJ to reply then thought for a moment.

"Yes I want the kilo, JJ. Business is business as you say. But the deal has changed. I have not heard from Amora since last evening and the call was short and not good. You say you don't know where she is. I don't either. This can only mean one thing." Escobar's voice was ice cold.

JJ didn't speak right away, thinking about what to say next. "I understand. What is it you want?" He felt like the fish again except this time the hook was at his throat.

"We will meet tonight on the docks, our usual place, at midnight. Bring the kilo and I will let you live. If you try to double cross me it will be the last thing you do. No money this time. My payment to you will be to let you and your brother live. Your brother owes me an explanation. I want to know what happened, before we meet. I want to know within the next hour or the deal is off and you and your brother are dead men. One hour." Escobar hung up.

Alfredo still didn't know what had happened at the motel. He needed to know and played his hand accordingly. He had baited the hook and checked his watch. He waited for the call.

JJ pushed the end button on his cell phone and thought that might be his story tonight, 'The End'. He looked at Emmanuel and shook his head. He looked at his watch; it was 9:50am.

"You have to call Alfredo within the next hour and explain what happened last night. He said he would meet me at midnight and he wants the kilo. His payment to us will be that he does not kill us. We need to work with him, Emmanuel. If we don't he will have us killed and it won't be quick or easy!" JJ's expression had changed to that of a man who was fighting for his life and was desperate. Everything needed to go perfectly.

Emmanuel sat there in silence, thinking. It was 10:00am. When JJ's cell phone rang they both nearly jumped out of their seats. JJ answered with a soft voice to help control his nervousness.

"Hey. What have you found out for me my friend?"

Armando had everything JJ needed. He had simply called information for Rita's address. He had taken a walk into the detective's area earlier that morning and didn't find anything in Dexter's lab but he did find a note on Deb's desk with a phone number for a "CJ". Dexter had mentioned CJ to him during one of Dex's donut trips through dispatch while making small talk. A call to the Telephone Company and Armando had an address for CJ. Armando was a lucky man. He was ready to collect his due!

"I have the address for the blonde, Rita, and her dad." He waited.

JJ though for a moment, this was good; her and her dad's addresses. She could be at her dad's being cared for, made sense. Armando had delivered but was also a liability now.

"Good, Armando, very good! This is exactly what I needed. What else have you found out about the motel investigation?"

"Up to now all I know is that the detectives are meeting at 11:00 am to go over all of the information they have up to this point. I also heard that a woman was found dead in her car not to far from the hotel. The body was taken to the M.E.'s office last night. She had an I.D. with the name, Amora Escobar. The usual routine is to confirm her identity then notify the next of kin. I don't know if that has happened yet or not. It's something the detectives do and they aren't meeting for another hour or so."

"Okay, Armando. This is big, you did good. I will pay you _5_ grand today and a grand a day until this is finished. Agreed?"

"Yes, when can we meet? I have to be at work at 2:00 pm today to start my shift."

"Let's meet at 1:00 pm at the old hangout by the docks, it won't be busy today at this time. Okay?"

"Okay, JJ, one o'clock." Armando hung up with a big grin on his face. His girl friend, Mimi, had listened in and was just as happy. They decided to go together to get the money. Armando knew about Mimi and her profession, he was okay with that. He knew she had spent last night with JJ. That was okay too. Armando was a man easily pleased and did what he had to do to pay for the simple pleasures in life.

JJ looked at Emmanuel, thinking. He told his brother what Armando had said. His plan was coming together.

"Listen, Emmanuel, first you will call Escobar and tell him the truth. You will be sorry and you will let him know that Amora started the argument. Tell him that she was wounded but left on her own even though you could have taken her out right there but you did not. Do not tell him about the blonde bitch. Tell him that after Amora left, the package was delivered. You left the hotel and came here. We waited for him to call us. We waited until this morning then called him. That's it. That's all you know. Got it?" JJ hoped he did because their lives depended on it.

"Yes, I got it." Emmanuel was nervous but made the call. Escobar listened and told EL Cuchillo to not worry, he understood and as long as JJ delivered the kilo as planned they would do business in the future. Business was business. Of course Alfredo had his own plans for the Cervantes brothers. He would take out JJ himself and his men would take out EL Cuchillo at the same time, at midnight. He would have his kilo and the Cervantes brothers would pay with their lives for taking his Amora. JJ's death would be quick. EL Cuchillo's would not. It was 10:30am.

EL Cuchillo drove JJ's car to the meeting on the docks while JJ sat beside him and checked his 9mm several times, the magazine was full with one round chambered, 11 shots available, only 1 was needed. He would make sure though with an extra shot through the head for good measure. They arrived early and positioned the car so the sun was shining into the windshield making it difficult to see inside. JJ waited outside leaning up against the front fender on the driver's side. He saw Armando pull in through the driveway and saw Mimi in the car too. Not surprising but unexpected. Four rounds to be spent instead of two; Okay.

Armando stopped and stayed in the car. JJ approached with caution and leaned in towards Armando and said, "Well, well, look who we have here. Two very close friends this fine Sunday afternoon. I hope you brought me what I am going to pay for, my friend." JJ was looking at their hands to make sure neither one had a surprise for him.

Armando handed him a piece of paper with two names, two phone numbers, and two addresses. JJ had every reason to believe these were real. Armando was not the type to double cross the Cervantes brothers, he knew better. JJ was banking on this because he was about to silence his MMPD connection. He folded the paper and put it into his back pocket as he pulled out the 9 mm with his other hand and fired two quick rounds into the car. Then two more but not as quick, these were clean head shots. No more liabilities. He felt a twinge when he shot his Mimich but it didn't last long. She had picked the wrong man in the end and it had cost her dearly with her own life. Business was business thought JJ. It was 1:05 pm Sunday afternoon.

Lt. LaGuerta knocked on Mr. Alfredo Escobar front door at 1:05 pm. She had brought the Captain up to date after her meeting earlier then drove to Mr. Escobar's home with a patrol unit with two uniforms. She identified herself to Mr. Escobar and asked if the three of them could come in and talk. Alfredo now knew that Amora had not made it and his plan for tonight would be carried out without failure. Of course Alfredo gave nothing to LaGuerta that was useful.

Through the afternoon Batista crossed checked all of the guests and found nothing connecting any of them to Escobar or the drug trade.

Deb took the sketch artist to the security guard's home first, then Susan's, then Araceli's. They went to CJ's last which gave Rita more time to rest.

Forensics had finished up with the final reports to date.

The investigation was proceeding but they still had not identified Mr. Smith.

At 2:15 pm Sunday afternoon MMPD received a 911 call saying that two people had been found shot to death in their car. The call was anonymous and was placed from a prepaid cell phone, no way to trace it back to the owner. The patrol units that arrived first at 2:28 pm confirmed the situation and detectives were sent to the scene from Team One, starting their new week. They had no problem identifying the two victims from their I.D.'s and Armando was recognized by one of the patrolmen. The Captain was notified immediately that one of their own was one of the victims along with a known prostitute.

In the course of their investigation at the scene the detectives had bagged the two cell phones, one each from each victim. They checked the call made list and the incoming call list on both and made a match for one independent number. The number was for a cell phone and was not a prepaid cell. The number was registered to one Juan Cervantes. They ran the name and came up with his priors and his brother, Emmanuel Cervantes, also known as EL Cuchillo. The Captain knew about the stabbing the night before and called Lt. LaGuerta and filled her in on the new information. It was 4:45 pm.

Lt. LaGuerta informed the rest of her team, Team Four, about the new information from the Captain. Dexter received the call from LaGuerta at 5:06 pm. One of his 28 possible's was Mr. Emmanuel Cervantes, a.k.a., El Cuchillo, The Knife. He had his photo and needed to see the composite to make the connection solid, if it would. He gathered up his materials and set out for CJ's. In his van he called ahead to see how Rita was and CJ let him know that the sketch artist had just arrived and Rita was with him now. Dexter arrived at CJ's at 5:35 pm Sunday evening.

Continue on to chapter nine


	9. "Last Piece of the Puzzle"

Dexter entered CJ's and was immediately greeted by Astor and Cody.

"Hey! What are you two up to?" Dexter didn't know what they had been told yet and waited to hear what they had to say.

Astor and Cody both looked worried and needed comforting. They walked up to Dexter and looked up at him as he put his hands on their shoulders. Astor did the talking for the two.

"Dexter, why are the police here? Why is Deb here with the artist? What is mom doing with them? Grandpa just said mom is a witness, and mom is too busy to talk to us. What is a witness? Is mom okay? They just tell us to wait and be quiet or go watch TV in the bedroom."

Cody kept looking at Dexter and back to Astor while Astor was talking, nodding his head in agreement with Astor. Astor finished with a pouty face and put her arm around Cody's shoulders as they both looked up to Dexter for an answer and hopefully some good news.

Dexter smiled and looked down at the both of them thinking about what to say. Then he knelt down to talk to them at their level.

"Your mom was a witness to an event at the motel last night," both kids looked at each other with a puzzled look then back to Dexter.

"She saw a man do a bad thing and the police want her to tell the artist what the man looked like."

"A bad thing? What bad thing?" Cody shrugged his shoulders and looked worried again.

"She saw a man with a knife at the hotel that may have hurt someone. When he saw your mom looking at him he ran to his car and drove away. The police want to find him and talk to him so they need to know what he looks like. Once the artist is finished they will leave and we can all relax and talk. Okay?"

Astor thought maybe there was more to the story but knew Dexter wouldn't tell them more anyway so she said, "Okay." So did Cody. They both felt a little better but still felt like something was wrong. Dexter led them into the bedroom and set up a video for them and promised to bring back some popcorn and sodas if they would stay put for awhile and pretend like they really liked each other. Astor stuck her tongue out at Dexter and Cody put his finger in his mouth like he was trying to make himself throw up. Dexter laughed and left the room for the kitchen.

He found CJ in the kitchen drinking some freshly brewed coffee, the aroma was inviting. Dexter laid his files down on the kitchen table and proceeded to make himself some coffee.

"Hey, CJ, I told the kids I would bring them some popcorn and get them some sodas. Where do you keep the popcorn?" After CJ's response Dexter proceeded to get the popcorn out of the cupboard and put it into the microwave and get out two sodas. While Dexter was making himself busy CJ looked at the file folders sitting there and wondered what Dexter had in them. As soon as the popcorn was ready Dexter delivered the goodies to Astor and Cody in the bedroom and returned to the kitchen.

"They are a bit upset, CJ. I told them that Rita witnessed a man with a knife at the motel and the police want to talk to him, that's why the artist and the police are here."

"I should have told them more but wasn't sure exactly how much to say, thanks. I guess I'm just to worried about Rita right now Once Rita is finished we need to talk to the kids and make sure they are okay. What do you have here?" as CJ pointed to the files.

"We have a possible lead on Mr. Smith but we need to see the composite to confirm. Plus one of our dispatchers was found shot to death along with a prostitute down by the docks earlier this afternoon."

CJ looked up startled and surprised as he looked directly at Dexter. Now Dexter was talking about two more people being murdered, one a dispatcher for the department! Last night Rita was almost killed and now this. This was too much. Something had to be done and quickly!

Dexter saw CJ's reaction and proceeded to explain.

"That's a separate investigation, but from that we received word that they found a possible common link to our case; a man that was released from prison about four months ago and has a history with knives was linked to both of the victims. Batista is looking into any possible connection between that individual and anyone connected to this case. Hopefully we'll receive word from him soon. If there's a connection and the composite looks good then we will have a name and a face. He has a brother too, who may or may not be involved. These two cases may be connected after all. We will see."

Dexter hoped that giving CJ this information would keep him satisfied knowing that the police were doing their job. CJ's earlier comments still bothered Dexter, knowing that CJ was the type to take action if he felt his family was in danger.

"Thanks for the update, Dex. I just want Rita and the kids to be safe. If anything were to happen to them I wouldn't be able to live with myself," he gave Dexter a nod and a slight grin. His thoughts were going in a different direction though. He wanted to see what was in the files and see if there was something there for him to use. He had several untraceable hand guns and had already checked them and loaded them. He left them in the safe but they were ready just in case. If he had a name or two, and the addresses, plus a look at their pictures he was ready to go hunting. He would go just after dark to check out their homes and if they were home and could make the I.D. his hunting skills would be used for the first time to take out a human, or two. If you call these scum bags human. CJ wasn't thinking clearly though, he left out the fact in his plan that the police would be looking for these guys too once they had details.

"No problem, CJ," Dexter felt CJ would stay put now and was thinking ahead a few steps himself. Once the I.D.'s were made, if at all, the detectives would go to their homes first then to any known hangouts for these guys. They would leave detectives at each home for surveillance as needed.

Dexter's challenge would be to get to these guys through this net without getting caught. He knew that his methods were more direct, no questions, no trials, no appeals, just death. One very experienced killer talking out another, or two, for the right reason; they had messed with his Rita. In this case it didn't matter if they were serial killers or not, he had to make sure they were dealt with quickly before they could disappear or get caught up in the legal system. Either way Rita would not be able to rest; Dexter could not allow that to happen. Dexter would show EL Cuchillo and his brother how a knife was used; it would be a short and deadly lesson for each. Dexter was ready for the hunt, his void would be filled tonight, his Dark Passenger was hungry. It was 6:10 pm Sunday evening.

Dexter went into the den where Rita was, along with Deb, the sketch artist, and the two patrolmen. Dexter had a thought about the acronym COP, Constable on Patrol. It was simple enough but it tied into his plans for this evening. He would be looking out for all of the constables and avoiding them. He had to gather his information and focus. Don't get caught. Rule number one through ten.

Rita glanced up at Dexter when he walked in; looking much better than she had when Dexter had put her to bed earlier that morning and smiled. She looked back at the computer screen.

"That's him," with a nod and a very stern look on her beautiful face as she looked at the sketch artist. Dexter recognized Mr. Smith, Emmanuel Cervantes, EL Cuchillo. Him and his brother were dead men only they were still breathing, for the moment.

Dexter had a cold deadly unemotional expression on his face as he stared at the picture on the screen. Deb noticed and was taken back at first but realized this was a defining moment for Dexter concerning Rita, to see the face of the man that had tried to kill her. She reached out and put her hand on his arm. She knew that Dexter was upset and could use a soft touch. At first Dexter didn't feel Deb's hand on his arm, his focus was so intense that all else for a moment stopped to exist. When Deb squeezed his arm to get his attention he came back to CJ's den and shook his head once then looked at Deb. He tilted his head down just a little and gave a slight grin. He caught himself and changed his expression to include the rest of his face, his eyes now opening up and expressing thanks to Deb instead of giving her a look of death with a bit of enjoyment on his face.

"Are you okay, Dex?" as she squeezed his arm one more time.

"Yes, thanks. Do the other sketches match this one?"

"Pretty much. He wore sunglasses when he checked in and the guard only got a quick look, but yes, close enough."

"Good, very good," Dexter spoke slowly. He was thinking about his plan of attack already.

The sketch artist emailed the composites to Lt. LaGuerta and Captain Matthews. Once this was complete Deb showed the sketch artist along with the patrolmen to the front door. It was 6:30 pm.

Rita stood up and went to Dexter for a hug of reassurance. They stood there in silence for several moments. Rita had been through a lot in less than a 24 hour period and she would shift from one mood to another through the day since she got up. She would try to focus on the kids or her dad, but then the scene from room 412 would play out in her mind again. She would feel the terror again and get the shivers. Then she would get mad and feel like she needed to break something with her hands tightening up into fists then opening up again and repeating this several times. The woman's face that had been stabbed then died kept haunting her like the woman was trying to fight death one last time in Rita's mind. Now she had Dexter here to help her, to protect her, along with her dad. She felt better and looked forward to the family all being there and doing something normal together, something as simple as having dinner.

Deb walked back into the room to find Dexter and Rita embracing, both with their eyes shut, their bodies slowly swaying to an unheard song that only they could hear. She stood there in silence watching her brother and Rita together, almost jealous that they had each other for a time like this, a soul mate, a friend, a person to share with. She cleared her throat and Dexter looked her way as she spoke.

"How about we go into the kitchen with CJ and get Astor and Cody?"

Rita went first to the bedroom and hugged Cody and Astor and told them that she loved them and that the police had gone. She told them she was sorry for all of the mystery and they could all get together now in the kitchen.

While Dexter had been in the den, CJ had been busy doing his homework. He had copied down the names and addresses of the two Cervantes brothers that Dexter had highlighted in the top folder. Their pictures were there and he had studied them enough that he knew he could recognize them now on sight. Knowing their nicknames as he called them didn't hurt either. He looked at the other folders but didn't copy anything down from those not knowing when someone would walk back into the kitchen. Hopefully he had what he needed. He was thinking about his plan of attack when Dexter and Deb walked into the kitchen.

Deb was finishing up a comment to Dex when they came in that now that they had confirmation from the composite the two teams could work together to get these two guys. CJ had what he needed. So did Dexter. So did the police. So did Alfredo Escobar. JJ and Emmanuel were on a short list of targets for Sunday night. The Cervantes brothers were both killers but tonight their roles would be reversed.

They made dinner and small talk while they goofed around with the kids and each other to help lighten the mood. The kids definitely felt better and Rita did too while she kept busy. Deb knew that the Lieutenant would be calling soon to add her to the investigation now that the sketch artist was finished. In the mean time she enjoyed the family time.

Deb got the call at 8:05 p.m. to join up with the team to go after the Cervantes brothers. She said her goodbyes and left. Dinner was over and the crew was cleaning up the kitchen.

Dexter was looking for an excuse to get out of the house when his cell phone rang. "Morgan," as he listened. "Yes, I will be right there," Lt. LaGuerta called to have Dexter go over the evidence just collected from the double shooting at the docks. Everything was back at the lab, including the slugs from the bodies. Masuka had been tapped earlier to go down to the docks to work the crime scene while Dexter was with Rita. Dexter knew that this could wait until tomorrow because all of the detectives were tied up with the Cervantes brothers. He told the family what he had to do and left them together in the kitchen after a big hug from Rita. She made him promise to get back as soon as possible and to keep in touch, often! Dexter knew she was still scared and needed the contact to feel safer. He would rely on CJ for that until he could get back and of course would keep in contact as much as he could, considering what he was going to do this evening.

He arrived at the lab at 9:15 knew that the faster he could identify the slugs and report something to LaGuerta the faster he get out and go after his prey. By 9:50 pm he had identified the slugs as 9 mm and all 4 were fired from the same semi. He notified LaGuerta and said the rest of the blood work would take a while to get anything useful and that he was running on fumes and begged off until tomorrow. He was let off to get some sleep.

Lt. LaGuerta along with Batista had gotten phone taps on Escobar's home phone and his cell phone, at least the one they knew about They had the home phones for the Cervantes brothers along with their cell phones tapped also. Maybe they would catch a break if there was any phone traffic between any of them. The court was quick to respond and sign off on the requests knowing that one of the victims was an MMPD dispatcher. The surveillance teams were in place at all three homes The crews monitoring the phones were in place The patrol officers on the street that night had been brought up to speed about a possible situation developing that night and were advised to stay alert.

Dexter had gone home to change and pick up some special tools he would be using this night in Miami.

CJ was talking to Rita about making a trip to the store and needed to get some air for a few minutes. She didn't like this but made her dad promise to return as fast as possible and keep in touch on the cell. She would be in the bedroom with the kids watching TV to get them to bed and would wait for him to return.

CJ went to the den for a moment then after a hug with his three favorite people he left the house, at 9:30 pm Sunday night.

The hunters were all on the street looking for their prey.

Continue on to chapter ten


	10. "Get to the Point"

Rita made sure the house was locked up tight and all the doors and windows were checked and rechecked. All the curtains and blinds were shut and all the lights were on. She made some chocolate chip cookies with Astor and Cody then they all went into the bedroom that grandpa CJ had set up for the kids. They each had a nice cold glass of milk and a small plate with their own batch of warm cookies, and of course mom made sure they each had a couple of paper towels. Each had changed into their PJ's. Rita had her cell phone in the charger in the kid's room along with her dad's house phone. They put on their favorite movie, The Long Shot, and settled in for a nice family time together. It was 10:15 pm.

Dexter took a chance and went to JJ's first. He figured that Emmanuel was the hot item at least in their minds and he probably went to his brother's for refuge. He went to the block where JJ's house was but on the next street over. He parked and made his way through the yard behind JJ's and over the fence into JJ's back yard. He didn't want to run into the surveillance team out front. He hoped JJ and EL Cuchillo would be home and this would be quick and easy.

There were lights on inside and no outside lighting at all; this was in Dexter's favor which made it easier to move around the house on the outside without being seen. He waited by one of the back windows looking in to see if there was any movement or any noises from inside. He waited several minutes and heard nothing. It was 10:30 pm.

CJ had thought about which house to go to first but really had no idea which one to pick so he used his GPS navigation system in his van and found that JJ's house was the closest one so he went there first. He parked around the corner a half block down after driving past the house to make sure he knew which one it was. He hadn't noticed any surveillance parked on the street but took a detour on foot, around the corner anyway and came through the back yard from the house behind JJ's. The lighting in the neighborhood was almost nonexistent which made his job a lot easier He went over the back fence and made his way to the back of the house. He saw lights on inside and made his way to one of the back windows. It was 10:30 pm.

JJ told Emmanuel that he had to leave to meet Escobar, it was time and he didn't want to be late He would be back after the meet and they could go out and get some ladies for the night. Emmanuel was okay with this because he wanted to take care of a certain blonde bitch as him and JJ had already talked about. They decided that she would most likely be at her dad's place so Emmanuel should go there first. Emmanuel had his knife and JJ had his semi. Both were ready to finish up their business then go out and get laid. They had it all figured out, the plan was set in motion. They left the house at 10:00 pm.

The team monitoring the phones picked up a call at 9:50 pm from Escobar's home phone that they passed on to Lt. LaGuerta. It was a little cryptic but it gave them enough of what they needed to set a group in motion for a meet. The message was that Escobar had received a call from one of his men that they were in place near JJ's and Escobar told them to keep EL Cuchillo on ice until he arrived. He had to meet his mark at midnight. LaGuerta put out the call to have Escobar followed. There would be alternating unmarked cars with plain clothes officers tailing him. She sent several units to the docks to be available just in case. She contacted the surveillance team at JJ's and found out that the brothers had each just left in separate cars. They were told to follow JJ which they did. She figured she could catch up to EL Cuchillo after they had Escobar and JJ in custody.

Dexter had seen CJ come over the fence but didn't know it was him. It could have been anyone so Dex laid low and waited. CJ walked right up next to Dexter without seeing him as Dexter lay flat on the ground next to the house. As CJ stood up to look in the window Dexter knew who it was and saw the gun at the same time. Dexter sprang up and grabbed CJ's hand with the gun and twisted it out of his grip. CJ was startled and turned on Dexter with a quick turn and tried to keep his grip on the gun but couldn't. CJ put his other arm around Dexter and they went to the ground and rolled over with CJ on top. CJ had his hands on Dexter's throat at this point.

Dexter spit out a quick, "CJ, its Dex!"

CJ kept his grip, then backed off when he recognized Dexter. They rolled apart, stood up with their backs to the house gasping for air. They looked at each other and couldn't believe that the other one was there.

"What are you doing here, CJ? You are supposed to be home with Rita and the kids," Dex whispered.

"I have to finish this business tonight for Rita's sake."

"Me too, CJ," Dex almost laughed, "Follow me."

They made their way back over the fence and back to Dexter's van. Once inside they looked at each other and Dexter took the lead.

"You crazy son of a bitch, CJ. You almost lost it back there. I was ready to take you out when you stood up and looked into the window and I saw it was you. Good move by the way after I took your gun," as he smiled at CJ.

"You are full of surprises, Dex. Like I told you the other night, it seems you and I think alike. I wasn't wrong. Now what?"

"Let's check in with Deb and see what has developed if anything."

"Deb, what's the latest?

"We have a meet for JJ and Escobar. We're tailing Escobar to the meet from this side and we have a tail on JJ from that side. It seems Escobar has it in for JJ; he referred to him as his mark. Escobar has a team of men out for Emmanuel too. He wants them to hold Emmanuel until he can get there."

"Get where?"

"To JJ's where Emmanuel was staying, but our guys saw him leave at the same time JJ took off, at 10 pm."

"Where would Emmanuel be going?"

"Don't know. LaGuerta told our guys at JJ's to follow JJ, so we can get these guys together. She thinks once we have them in custody she can find out where Emmanuel is."

Dexter was silent, thinking. He knew he had missed something. It was a detail, a missing bit of information. It occurred to him, why was Armando killed? He was a liability, that's why. But what had made him a liability? He had knowledge. He worked at the MMPD. He was killed the day after the event at Z Motel. Emmanuel was not going to the meet with JJ. He had a different place to go. Oh God.

"Deb, put out a call to have all available units roll to CJ's, now," he shouted as he started the van and looked at CJ, "Emmanuel is on his way there now and CJ is with me across town. Rita and the kids are home alone and El Cuchillo has a head start. We are on our way, I will call Rita."

CJ's heart almost stopped. He turned white. He had left them alone. Oh god no, no. His Rita, his little Astor and his little Cody. What chance did they have? He would not be able to live with this. They were his life, his reason for living. What had he done? It was his fault they were alone, defenseless. He prayed for the first time in years as Dexter sped through the streets of Miami towards his house.

Dexter called Rita on her cell, hoping beyond hope that she would answer.

Deb got the call out and units were on there way, ETA, 4 minutes. It was 10:45 pm Sunday night.

El Cuchillo pulled up around the corner at 10:35 pm. He made his way over the back fence from the side street and made his way to the back of the house. All the lights were on but he couldn't see in, all the drapes and blinds were closed. He thought for a minute. He would go in hard and fast, screaming. It would scare the shit out of anyone home and his job would be easy and quick. He counted on the fear factor and how it would make a person freeze. It was risky but not so much that he wouldn't do it, he was El Cuchillo.

He found the back door and prepared to smash the window pane and reach in and unlock the door. It was 10:40 pm.

Rita had just made her way back into the kitchen with the plates and glasses and had just set them in the sink. The kids had fallen asleep but the movie was still running. She had shut the bedroom door behind her and took her cell phone to call dad. She didn't want to wake the kids.

The glass in the back door shattered and Rita screamed. A man was screaming and reaching in through the broken window reaching for the handle to get in. She went into survival mode and her mood went from quiet to being really pissed in about one second. This was too much and she was going to fight. She ran into the living room and grabbed the stabbing spear on the wall above the mantle and went into the hallway at the opposite end from the kid's bedroom. She turned off the hallway light and crouched down in the corner with the end of the shaft of the spear jammed into the corner of the hallway at the floor; she had both hands on the spear and had it laying almost on the floor. Her adrenaline was pumping through her veins and her heart was racing. Her arms were shaking and her breathing was shallow and fast. She waited; focused on the hallway entrance.

El Cuchillo had heard Rita scream and it excited him. His plan was working. He was in the house and went towards the living room and heard a noise in the hallway. He ran up to the hallway entrance screaming and stopped. He slowly looked in towards the noise coming from the bedroom to his right but heard something to his left. He turned and saw her crouching in the corner, she was a dark figure in the dark hallway but just enough light from the living room was all he needed to see her. She was his; the blonde bitch was going to die.

It was 10:44 pm. El Cuchillo screamed and turned to his left and charged towards Rita at full speed with his knife in his hand ready to cut her to ribbons.

She raised the front of the spear to chest height and braced it tightly in her hands with the shaft jammed tightly in the corner at the floor. El Cuchillo couldn't stop and ran right into the 22" blade as it pierced his chest then his heart and kept going until his momentum and the spear came to their final resting position. His face and Rita's face were just inches apart now, he looked shocked; he dropped his knife then collapsed. His weight dropped him forward but the spear being pushed into the corner pushed him over to the side. He was dead. He was up against the wall and not quite on the floor.

Rita's cell phone rang at 10:45 pm. She opened it and put the phone to her ear as she looked down on El Cuchillo. She heard Dexter's voice as he yelled into the phone in a panic.

"Rita we're on our way and patrol officers will be there in a few minutes. We think El Cuchillo is on his way there but we don't know exactly where he is!"

Rita was surprisingly calm as she looked down at her first kill then spoke softly and calmly into the phone.

"I do."

 _Your review will be greatly appreciated!_


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